Alfa Art Gallery presents "THIS IS ONLY A TEST" Solo Exhibition by Rodney Durso

Rodney Durso’s abstract works in mixed media will be exhibited at the Alfa Art Gallery between November 26 and December 20, 2008. The opening reception will be held Thursday, December 4, 2008 from 7 to 11pm.

Introducing the artist within an art historical context will be Natalie Trainor, a recent graduate of Rutgers College, where she studied art history under the likes of Catherine Puglisi, John Kenfield, Tanya Sheehan and Andres Mario Zervigon. Also accompanying the artist's works at the opening reception will be the eclectic sound of Jersey City musicians' Terminal Reynaldo. The band will provide an avant-pop performance featuring voice and guitar while friends and patrons sip wine, relax and discuss the arts in a Stieglitz-like atmosphere tucked away between George and Spring Streets.

In his final exhibition of 2008 at Alfa, Durso presents This is only a test, his evocative abstract works in mixed media, which explore political, environmental and economic motifs. The artist's bold use of color and the inclusion of jumbled words from newspaper headlines allow for a unique, text-dominated style. The viewer finds himself in front of the works questioning the very essence of words: Do words really matter? What does the phrase "Hello Monkey" mean anyway?

Durso's reflective mixed medias are a highlight of the collection that will be on view. The artist's second solo exhibition, This is only a test, connects images to word; thus connecting the art to the viewer through novel word pairings and phrases created by Rodney.

In This is only a test Rodney is on an artistic adventure, exploring new territories in search of new means of self-expression: "For the last three years I have been exploring new ideas, mediums, and most importantly testing the idea of transforming my life in a way that is centered around my art and design." This collection of works was selected from pieces Rodney has created over the past three years and represents a variety of styles and themes. According to Durso, he "wanted to have a show where could display progress and wide range of interests as an artist all in one room, a kind of mini retrospective of my work since I began painting in 2005."

Based in New York City, Rodney is an artist, designer, creative director and founder of Stormhouse Partners, an award-winning branding and design consultancy established in 1998.

The Alfa Art Gallery is located at 108 Church Street in New Brunswick; the hub-city in Central Jersey that historically connects New York and Philadelphia. Sandwiched between a Doric pilastered building and an iconic underground music venue, the Court Tavern and adjacent to the road Washington and his troops marched down during the Revolutionary War. The gallery boasts effervescence amongst the New Brunswick community and art scene and plays a vital role among visual-arts organizations locally, nationally and internationally by exhibiting, initiating, supporting, presenting, and preserving artists' work, and by serving as a locus for interdisciplinary art and criticism.