Open Book(s) @ Mana Contemporary

(2/22/25 - 6/30/25)

From the curator statement of Carrie Able: “In Ritual: The Intimacy of Silliness, Colleen Topping taps into a visual language that is both personal and universal. Topping treats play not as a detour from seriousness, but as a disciplined and generative method of knowing. Drawing from the childhood “fortune teller” game—an object both universally familiar and quietly intimate—Topping establishes a ritualized structure through which intuition, repetition, and chance can coexist…

“Ultimately, Ritual: The Intimacy of Silliness proposes play as a serious act of self-relation. By relinquishing the performance of gravity, Topping opens a space where sincerity can surface. Each work invites viewers into the ritual—not to decode a single meaning, but to enter a field of possibility shaped by intuition, imperfection, and the meditative guidance delivered through the hand.”

From Mana Contemporary: “Books disseminate ideas to some of the largest audiences in the world, empowering makers of all disciplines to share ideas and give strength to communities far and wide. Through the OPEN BOOK(S) exhibition, Mana Contemporary in collaboration with the Monira Foundation, highlights makers from around the world to present unique works and ideas.

OPEN BOOK(S) focuses on highlighting artist book makers who utilize the book to bring ideas to life through traditional and non-traditional book forms as well as artists whose work can be viewed through the approach of an open book and displayed using different media and formats.”

Featured artists to date: Amy Wilson, Ana Paula Cordeiro, Ann Messner, Anne Muntges, Colleen Topping, Ernesto Carozzo, Geraldine Neuwirth, Jean Wolff, John O’Connor, Kelly Driscoll, Liz Ndoye, Pol Morton, Renate Aller, Rowan Renee and Rujuta Rao.

Curated by: Kele McComsey, Director of Mana Contemporary, and Ysabel Pinyol Blasi, Executive Director and Chief Curator of Monira Foundation.

“Sublime Vessel”, on view at The Anderson Gallery February 22rd - March 4th 2022, featured a solo body of work created by VCUarts Undergraduate Colleen Topping, as well as a musical composition by Amanda McVey and Jack Sample.

Constructed through a painterly lens, “Sublime Vessel” calls upon elements of abstract expressionism and contemporary figure studies. Its inclusion of sculptural objects offers imagery of the body as both an artistic object and a conscious vehicle. The collection creates a space to reflect on identity and attitude in respect to one’s physical existence, in an attempt to honor the human form as a subject of diverse beauty.

A solo exhibition featuring works created and selected by Amina Coleman-Davis, curated by Colleen Topping, and hosted by the Lab @ Alchemy Coffee.

“The show will serve as a poignant reminder that the individuals and moments we hold dear can be dismantled and reconfigured; in an instant or over time; for better or worse. The show also serves to display the exuberance of tender moments shared with a disorienting, sublime zeal. By utilizing my same aposematically inspired palette consisting of neon hues alongside stark black forms, the works reinforce my new visual lexicon and legitimize this style as a form of ongoing formal research.” - Amina Coleman-Davis