Kean University Gallery Showcases Visions from the Metropolis

As part of Kean University’s mission to expand the appreciation and influence of the visual arts, the Karl and Helen Burger Gallery is showcasing Italian artist Franca Marini’s Visions from the Metropolis. The exhibition features Marini’s modern interpretations of Medieval and early Renaissance art from her hometown of Siena. An opening reception for Visions from the Metropolis was held Thursday, November 2 at the gallery.

“This is a special opportunity to share my work in such an astounding academic institution, and I hope that somehow it can be an inspiration for any of you who would like to pursue an artistic career,” Marini explained to the large gathering at the reception. Students enrolled in Kean University’s Art History: Renaissance to the Modern World course were one of the many groups in attendance.

After addressing the crowd, guests spoke with Marini directly about her art and her current, past and future exhibitions. Her next exhibition at Kean, Transnational Migration and Immigration, opens Thursday, February 1, 2018 at the Human Rights Gallery at Kean University. It will run through mid-June and coincide with the Human Rights Institute annual conference on the same subject, which will be held March XX, 2018.

“One of the main reasons that we have art galleries on campus is to stimulate conversation and show the many avenues that art can influence you,” said Neil Tetkowski, director of Kean University Galleries.

Franca Marini pursued her artistic academic studies in Italy and the United States. She lived and worked as a professional artist in New York City for over 10 years, where the works featured in Visions from the Metropolis were created as the imagery of the great Sienese painters of the Medieval and early Renaissance times influenced her painting. Marini is currently engaged in the creation of site-specific installations and video art connected to urban settings of contemporary metropolis and to human rights issues. Her work has been shown in Europe, the United States, Central America and Palestine.

Visions from the Metropolis is free and open to the public until December 21.