October 2-31, 2026
Opening Reception: Friday, October 2, 6–9pm
Third Friday Reception: October 16, 6–9pm
Gallery Hours
Fri 6-9pm
Sat & Sun 11am-2pm
or by appointment
Five15Arts presents HUMAN NATURE, a solo show by member artist Harold Lohner. For his fourth solo at the collective gallery on Historic Grand Avenue, Lohner will exhibit a new collection of his one-of-a-kind monoprints.
Harold Lohner’s work is characterized by bold drawing, vivid color, and layered patterns. He uses portraits and figures to tell stories about fictional individuals and their imagined lives. For HUMAN NATURE, images of natural elements appear—from flowers and leaves to the wind and sky—serving as metaphors for the internal and external forces against which we as humans struggle. We are a part of Nature, yet also apart from it. We construct our own environment as we create Culture, but we must always return to our roots as earthly animals.
In one series, “Fall of Flowers,” a figure succumbs to a downpour of pink blossoms. In a large work printed on a round tablecloth, vocalizing faces, bare tree branches, and a full moon suggest the “Autumn Night” of the title. In the portrait series “Strange Relations,” each face reveals a second face when the print is rotated, suggesting dual personalities and complicated relationships. In the “Becoming” series, portraits are alternately consumed by green leaves or red flames.
In recent years, Harold Lohner has presented his work in a solo show called “Forbidden Colors” at the Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum, in a two-person show (with Wade Carter) called “Making Faces” at the Eric Fischl Gallery at Phoenix College, and in group shows at Found:re Contemporary, Eye Lounge, First Studio, Gallery 119, and other Valley venues. Last year he was the recipient of an Artists to Work grant from Phoenix Art and Culture in support of a tent-like installation called “Stop this day and night with me.” Lohner is Professor Emeritus of Art at Russell Sage College in upstate New York, having taught there for 33 years. In retirement he has been able to focus on making and exhibiting his own creative works.
