Harmonious dichotomy

In honor of the new year, resolve to give your mind the level of creative stimulation it deserves. Start feeding your brain’s craving for both simple beauty and intellectual challenge. The new art show at Fools Foundation—Concordia/Discordia—is the perfect way to start. Artists Graciela Guardado and Richard St. Ofle will show works in a variety of media, including, but not limited to, digital images, photo collage, silk-screen, cyanotype, oils and acrylics, or some combination thereof. The show’s title refers to the contrast between the two artists styles, as well as the tensions within their own bodies of work. The two artists acknowledge that their respective styles are “wildly different”—Guardado’s work features a broad use of color and organic decoration, while St. Ofle tends toward starker images and more limited palette choices—but the side-by-side showings are highly complimentary and informative. Guardado and St. Ofle’s tendency toward nontraditional portraiture is another point of divergence—St. Ofle’s subjects are typically depicted straight-on, while Guardado’s usually captures her sitter’s visage in some stage of profile. Check out some sample pieces at www.myspace.com/concordia_discordia.

The show will kick off with a reception at 7 p.m. Saturday with live music by Kyoto Beat Orchestra and Agent Ribbons, whose singer-guitarist Natalie Gordon is featured in some of St. Ofle’s work, along with other notable locals. The works of Concordia/Discordia will remain on display through January 27. Visit Fools Foundation online at www.myspace.com/foolsfoundation.