‘Connectivity’ exhibit opens April 13 at Gadsden Museum

In his ambitious exhibi- tion of life-size paintings at the Gadsden Arts Cen- ter & Museum in Quincy opening tomorrow (6-8 p.m., Friday, April 13), painter Liu Nan reflects upon life on the Florida A&M University campus in Tallahassee, where he teaches.

Nan is fascinated by student behavior — how they are always connected to electronic devices while rarely connecting with one another.

“Connectivity: Figurative Paintings” by Nan creates an entire environment of student figures in the museum’s Sara May Love Gallery — leading us to question not only campus behavior, but connectivity everywhere in modern life.

Nan, a native of China, exhibits work and has work in museum collections across the United States.

A native of China, the artist began studying art at an early age.

When he first arrived in Florida, he focused on painting the landscapes — ashewasinaweofthe vast open spaces he expe- rienced here after his hometown in China be- came so overbuilt that he could no longer see the sky.

Nan also is a master of calligraphy and Chinese brush painting.

In addition to “Connec- tivity,” Gadsden Arts features at this time four other art exhibitions: “Thornton Dial: Thoughts on Paper” (Bates Permanent Collec- tion Gallery); “Wildlife of North America: Paintings by John Isaacs” (Zoe Golloway Gallery); “Skip Brea: A Friend, with Friends” (Munroe Family Community Gallery); and the Gadsden Arts Artists Guild exhibit (Bates Community Room).