There are notable exceptions, of course, but visual art remains an essentially individual pursuit.
In “14 Collaborations,” an exhibition at the Art Students League of Denver, co-curators Jeff Wenzel and Michael Gadlin set out to challenge that tendency and see what would happen if solo-oriented artists worked together.
They invited groups of two and three area artists — including some unlikely combinations, like super-realist Quang Ho and Wenzel, an abstractionist — to join forces on large- and small-scale collaborative works.
As might be expected, some of the resulting two- and three-dimensional pieces seem a bit unwieldy and forced. But if none can exactly be called revelatory, a few are commendably cohesive efforts.
Among the latter is “Mentors,” a digital triptych by Tony Ortega, George Rivera and Quintin Gonzalez. It helps that all three regularly create sociopolitically themed works that deal with Chicano culture.
Likewise, the imagery of Jill Hadley Hooper and Homare Ikeda is seamlessly integrated in an untitled solar-plate print made in conjunction with master printer Mark Lunning.
“14 Collaborations” runs through Oct. 19. Free. 303-778-6990 or . Kyle MacMillan
