December 14, 2024 - January 11, 2025

HARD TO NAIL

Atrium Artspace proudly announces HARD TO NAIL, a three-person exhibition featuring the works of Maryland-based artists VILLAGER, BlissArmyKnife, and Ismael Qedar. The exhibition explores the elusive nature of identity, emotion, and the human experience through the artist's visceral, unfiltered lens. Rooted in the bold, raw, and vulnerable, this exhibition seeks to challenge, provoke, and invite audiences into a space where the intangible becomes tangible—only fleetingly.

The phrase HARD TO NAIL encapsulates the difficulty of pinning down the complexities of the human condition in a single gesture, form, or medium. The featured artists in this exhibition confront this challenge head-on, offering works that defy convention, explode with energy, and refuse to conform to singular interpretations. Their use of vibrant colors, gestural brushstrokes, fragmented narratives, and text as a creative intervention creates a dynamic dialogue that is as deeply personal as it is universal.

HARD TO NAIL reflects on the role of art in capturing the fleeting and dynamic nature of truth. In a world increasingly dominated by binaries and oversimplified narratives, this three-person exhibition reminds us of the beauty in ambiguity, the power of change and contradiction, and the richness of the collective human experience. These works are not meant to be "nailed down"; instead, they invite us to linger in the in-between spaces, to sit with discomfort, to seek meaning in the chaos, and to find solidarity in the shared struggle to express the inexpressible.

HARD TO NAIL will be on view at Atrium Artspace - 2029 Maryland Avenue, Baltimore, Maryland from December 11, 2024 to January 11, 2025.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

  • VILLAGER

    VILLAGER

    VILLAGER (b. Abdul Rasheed Adekunle Adaranijo in Lagos, Nigeria) is a Nigerian-born international Artist and Cultural Producer whose work exists to scrutinize, deconstruct, and redefine what it means to be a “Contemporary African."  Through varied mediums such as painting, sculpture, print-making, photography, site-specific and public installation, audio-visual interactive media, performance art, curation, and cultural facilitation, VILLAGER's work explores the ways the past is alive in the present with a universal visual language that bridges cultural and temporal divides and duly investigates how humanity evolves as a product of social culture.

    VILLAGER is formally trained as a Water Microbiologist and Environmental Researcher, receiving a B.S. in Environmental Chemistry at Towson University in 2020. VILLAGER has presented solo exhibitions in Baltimore, MD, BUSH BOY! (2022) at Chesapeake Arts Center and is currently exhibiting a solo exhibition titled "ÀṢẸ: Embodying the Divine" at The Bromo Seltzer Arts Tower, Baltimore, MD till December 17, 2024.

    VILLAGER has also been selected in group exhibitions, Sou(l): Mostra de Arte Afro-Diaspórica, Artspace Vigidal, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, BLAQ SHEEP, Superchief Gallery LA, Los Angeles, CA, AFROFUTURISM: 100 years after the Harlem Renaissance, Papermill Playhouse, Millburn, NJ, Holiday on Holliday: Baltimore’s Mosaic of Holiday Hope & Harmony, Baltimore City Hall, Baltimore, MD, B24 Artscape Exhibition, Riggs Gallery & Leidy Gallery (MICA), Baltimore, MD, to name a few. VILLAGER has also been commissioned for performances at THE ROUSE COMPANY FOUNDATION GALLERY, Creative Alliance, and Maryland Art Place.

    BmoreART, Baltimore Banner, and NUNAR have all recognized VILLAGER's world-building and distinct work in their publications. VILLAGER is also a 2024 recipient of the Maryland State Arts Council Grants for Artists Award, and the Free Fall Baltimore Grant. VILLAGER's artwork can be found in private art collections in Los Angeles, CA, Baltimore, MD, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

    Learn more about VILLAGER.

  • BlissArmyKnife

    BlissArmyKnife

    BlissArmyKnife is a multidisciplinary artist whose dynamic visual language spans painting, collage, illustration, photography, and design. Born and raised in Prince George’s County, Maryland, Bliss showed an early affinity for the arts, engaging in drawing, songwriting, and dance. In high school, they began recording music and joined the collective 3SIDE, establishing themselves within the DMV's underground Hip-Hop scene and becoming a recognized presence in Baltimore's music circuit.

    In 2018, Bliss returned to drawing after a long hiatus, reigniting a passion that expanded into painting by 2019. This marked a turning point, leading to their participation in group exhibitions throughout the Washington-Baltimore region, as well as in New York, Los Angeles, and Indianapolis. Bliss has since held two solo exhibitions in Baltimore and, in 2023, was featured in Artscape's annual "B23 Best of Baltimore" exhibition.

    Fresh off a recent solo show at Atrium Artspace, BlissArmyKnife continues to push creative boundaries and is preparing to pursue further studies next fall.

    Learn more about BlissArmyKnife.

  • Ismael Qedar

    Ismael Qedar

    Ismael Qedar Oates is an artist based in the DMV area. He is originally from Silver Spring, Maryland, and began seriously pursuing art at age 10 following a spiritual awakening. Much of his artistic development occurred within the Montgomery County public school system, with works showcased in downtown Silver Spring, through Arts on The Block, and at Montgomery Blair High School.

    Ismael studied at the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design in Washington, DC, where he served as a lab technician, received the Sam Gilliam Scholarship, and earned a sophomore excellence award. In 2016, he obtained an associate’s degree and continued his education at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, graduating Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2019.

    Ismael's work explores themes of Black American culture, community, and transformation. Through solo exhibitions, pop-up events, and collaborations in the DC metro area, including with HOMME, they cultivate spaces for dialogue and collective reflection. Ismael founded IQ Art by Ismael Qedar as a platform dedicated to fostering community, inspiring change, and pushing creative boundaries.

    Ismael Qedar has occupied numerous roles in the fine arts field, including positions at the Smithsonian Institution’s Hirschhorn Museum and Plaza Art Materials in Washington, DC. Currently, Ismael works as a Guest Services Associate at the Phillips Collection, where he engages in public connection to art history and modern art.

    Learn more about Ismael Qedar.