Charleston Reporter

The City of North Charleston’s Cultural Arts Department has announced concurrent solo exhibitions at Park Circle Gallery, featuring painted illustrations by Kelly Kopacka from Johns Island, SC, and paper and wood sculptures by Flavia Lovatelli from Columbia, SC. The exhibits will be on display from July 3 to July 27, 2024. A free public reception will be hosted by the artists on Friday, July 5, from 5:00-7:00pm.

Kelly Kopacka's exhibit, "Dogville," showcases a collection of mixed media works that imagine a dog society's infrastructure. The exhibition includes paintings of dog houses and wall-mounted dioramas created with thrifted and found materials. Kopacka describes her style as illustrative realism and cites influences such as Joseph Cornell, Louise Nevelson, Robert Rauschenberg, and Richard Scarry. She holds an M.A. in Art History from the University of Memphis and a B.A. in Art History from Georgia State University. Initially working as a graphic designer for a corporation, Kopacka turned to creating art full-time following the pandemic shutdowns.

Flavia Lovatelli's exhibit, "A Sculptural Exploration of Coral in Nature," features paper and wood sculptures inspired by coral's organic shapes. Her work is influenced by her childhood experiences snorkeling in various seas and hiking with her family. Lovatelli uses sustainable materials like found paper to create her sculptures. Raised in Northern Italy before moving to the United States in 1979, she is a self-taught artist whose work has been displayed in numerous exhibitions including the Hollis Taggart Gallery in New York and the Shanghai International Paper Art Biennial.

Park Circle Gallery is located at 4820 Jenkins Avenue in North Charleston. Admission is free with available street parking on Jenkins Avenue and adjacent streets. The gallery operates Wednesday-Friday from 11:00am-6:00pm and Saturday from Noon-4:00pm but will be closed on July 4 for Independence Day.

For more information about Park Circle Gallery or other Cultural Arts programs, visit www.northcharleston.org or contact the gallery directly at 843-637-3565 or [email protected].