Photo by Aaron Hogan

Dive into two new exhibitions at the Healthcare Gallery

A spoonful of sugar might help the medicine go down, but a daily dose of beautiful art can also encourage the peace and mindfulness necessary to good health. That’s what the Healthcare Gallery in Baton Rouge thinks, anyway, as it presents a co-exhibition displaying the work of two local artists—the likes of which you may not find in an average stroll through a museum.

“OVRFLO,” a collection by artist and photographer Aaron Hogan of Eye Wander Photo, showcases some of Hogan’s surreal underwater photographs of dancers, athletes and models. Inspired by the triumph of the human spirit, the grace and flexibility of his subjects transcend ordinary limitations to suggest the more incorporeal aspects of humankind.

“This underwater project began as a desire to push myself in a completely new direction as a photographic artist,” Hogan says. “I was looking for a project that would be technically difficult but extremely rewarding at the same time. I wanted to create works which celebrated the human spirit in his many forms…his struggles and his triumphs.”

“OVRFLO” will be joined in the gallery by “The Poofs,” a collection of 14 watercolor paintings by John Michael Byrd. Bryd holds an MFA in Studio Arts from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and earned an BFA in painting and drawing from LSU. His work aims to compel viewers with the implied motion of color and line, transporting his images into a realm somewhere between reality and artificiality. A winner of several grants and scholarships, Byrd has seen his art featured in several national exhibitions and competitions.

An opening reception, which is free to the public, will take place this Saturday, Jan. 30, from 6 to 9 p.m. and will include light fare and drinks. The exhibitions will be on display through April 1. For more information, visit the event’s Facebook page.