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“Fundamental” in Brussels, Belgium

Brussels is not only the capital of Belgium and the administrative center of the European Union, it is also the city where the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is based. In addition, Brussels becomes the latest stop for Fundamental, the group exhibition I’m participating in that explores today’s religious fundamentalist movements. My painting, A People Under Command: USA Today, is included in the exhibit, which has been touring European cities since September, 2007. You can read more about the show, and the meaning behind my painting in my original Aug. 2007 article, The Fundamental Art Exhibit.

“A People Under Command: USA Today.” Mark Vallen. 1985. Acrylic on unstretched canvas. 6 x 8 ft.

Fundamental is organized by a very different NATO, the “Northern Arts Tactical Offensive” of Manchester, England, funded by the European Cultural Foundation and The Arts Council of England. The exhibition opens July 19th, 2008 at the Gallery Gabrichidze, and runs for one month. Located in the very heart of Brussels the gallery offers two stories of exhibit and workshop space, and defines itself as an “art gallery concerned with current political issues found on the European and international agenda.”

Also included in Fundamental are works by artists Debbie Hill (a photojournalist living in Israel), Frans Smeets (Dutch artist and sculptor), Parastou Forouhar (an Iranian-born artist residing in Germany), Khosrow Hassan (an Iranian artist based in Tehran), Dalila Hamdoun (a French-Algerian artist based in London), Garth Eager (an English multi-media artist based in Manchester), Andrew Stern (a photojournalist based in New York), Andreas Böhmig (German photojournalist), Joel Pelletier (American painter based in Los Angeles), and Johan Oldekop (a UK based photojournalist).

Visit the Gallery Gabrichidze at www.gallery-gabrichidze.com.

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