Michael Platt

H&F Fine Arts in Maryland opens a solo exhibition of new work by artist Michael Platt. An opening reception will be held on Saturday, May 3 from 5:00–8:00pm; on Saturday, May 24, there will be a reading by poets Carol Beane and Maya James, and storyteller, Ken Ford at 5:30pm followed by a gallery talk with Michael Platt at 7:00pm.

"Lost and Found centers on work made in collaboration with poet and Howard University professor Carol Beane. The historical and contemporary traumas of American slavery and Hurricane Katrina are the implied backdrop for a stunning installation in which a New Orleans-style shotgun house is surrounded by prints of female figures on translucent polycloth. Whether fugitives from slavery or disaster, the figures are displaced, lost, fearful, and yearning. The obscured shotgun house, representing home, is seen but not accessible, telegraphing futility and despair while suggesting the possibility of hope, celebration, reflection, and return."

A 2007 recipient of the prestigious Franz and Virginia Bader Fund Grant, Platt has exhibited nationally and internationally. His work is held in many private and museum collections including the Corcoran Museum, the Smithsonian Museum of American Art, and the Library of Congress.