NEW YORK, NY – Chelsea’s Agora Gallery will feature the original work of Gray Portela in A Splendid Summer Showcase. The exhibition opens August 24 and runs through September 14, 2019 with an opening reception on Thursday, September 5 from 6-8 pm. Any art lover who enjoys thought-provoking artworks and meeting talented and interesting artists is encouraged to attend.

About the Artist 

As a clinical oncologist working in Brazil, Gray Portela must fight not only against the epidemic of cancer, but against the myriad of social and economic problems of a population in which the majority are denied access to basic rights. In any family, a cancer diagnoses is devastating. Serving as the Medical Director of the Petrolina Institute of Oncology and Dom Tomás Cancer Hospital, Gray finds himself searching for better treatment within a limited public health system, and helps patients through the entire process of curing and controlling the disease.

Born in Serra Branca, Brazil, he was always drawn to painting. Self-taught, he turned to it as a way to treat himself from burnout syndrome as a doctor. It’s on canvas that Gray works out the feelings that emerge over the working day. “My art is about cancer, pain, life and death, faith and hope, victory and defeat, medicine and religion,” said the artist. Each piece has a personal story to tell. The bold personifications of life and death depicted in his oil-on-canvas works, often colored blue, are both abstract and simplistic, highlighting a moment on the subject’s journey.

Exhibition Dates: August 24 – Sept 14, 2019

Reception: Thursday, September 5, 2019 6-8 PM

Gallery Hours: Tues-Sat 11:00am – 6:00pm 

Gallery Location: 530 West 25th Street, New York, NY  

Event URL: https://www.agora-gallery.com/Exhibition/Splendid_8_24_2019-Artist-Gray.aspx

Featured Artists:

Chinemerem Omeh | Stephanie A. Pitoy | SirK | Marliese Scheller | Mariela Soldano | Sandra Guy | Charlotte Lisboa | Tringa Khadija | Yutaka Fujimori | Salwa Almoayyed | Leandro Miguel Cruz | Ada Luisa Trillo | Rachel Misenar | Jerry Anderson | Aaron Pierre Pines | Gray | Ai-Wen Wu Kratz | JANINA Leigue

About the Exhibition

In and Out of the Garden is a collective exhibition presented by Agora Gallery, featuring work by nine different artists with mediums ranging from painting to mixed-media to installation. Natural forms, expressive compositions, and bold color palettes create an energetic narrative focused on the exhilarating and intoxicating reality of the human experience.

About Agora Gallery

Agora Gallery is a contemporary fine art gallery located in the heart of Chelsea’s fine art district in New York. Established in 1984, Agora Gallery specializes in connecting art dealers and collectors with national and international artists. The art gallery’s expert consultants are available to assist corporate and private clients in procuring original artwork to meet their organization’s specific needs and budget requirements. With a strong online presence and popular online gallery, ARTmine, coupled with the spacious and elegant physical gallery space, the work of our talented artists, who work in diverse media and styles, can receive the attention it deserves. Over the years Agora Gallery has sponsored and catered to special events aimed at fostering social awareness and promoting the use of art to help those in need.