East Hampton - The Spanierman Gallery, LLC (68 Newtown Lane) in East Hampton, held an opening reception on Saturday, October 10, for the Danny Simmons: 'From There to Here,' exhibition.

Helen Spanierman with her niece Elizabeth Fraser.

Unfortunately, Simmons was not in attendance as he is currently in the hospital after undergoing hip surgery, however, numerous friends and well-wishers were on hand to view the works of this extraordinary artist and the abstract works he has created during the past 15 years.

According to the Spanierman Gallery Simmons' works are "Radiantly gestural paintings in which he has sought to reveal a spiritual presence beyond that of the art object's physical properties. Drawing inspiration and motivation from the African contemporary and indigenous art and other tribal examples that he [Simmons] has collected over the course of many years (his collection numbers close to 2,000 items), he is motivated by a desire to think about spirituality and to seek a way to access, channel, and touch it through the creative process. Simmons views a painting as similar to a message in a bottle or a spiritual emanation that when sent out into the world encompasses a realm of experience and a life of its own beyond that of its creator."

Rick Friedman, Cindy Lou Wakefield and Stanley Hirsch.

Simmons is the older brother of the hip-hop impresario Russell Simmons and the rapper Joseph "Reverend Run" Simmons, neither of whom were in attendance at Saturday's opening. He is the co-founder of the Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation, which provides disadvantaged youth with access to the arts and education and promotes a diverse group of emerging artists. Simmons was also recently appointed chairman of the New York State Council on the Arts. In 2002 Simmons and his brother Russell established "Def Poetry Jam," introducing poetry to mainstream television in a long-running series on HBO in which original poems are spoken along with performances by well-known actors and musicians.

Kim Jones and her daughter Ajiah Jones.

Again, according to the gallery, Simmons is "A self-taught artist, who evolved his work through studying all of the major art-historical movements. Eventually he developed a strong interest in Surrealism, encompassing the work of Miró, Dalí, and André Breton, in particular. A turning point for Simmons was his discovery of the art of the Cuban artist Wilfredo Lam (1902-1982), whose paintings, combining modernist styles with those of the indigenous arts of the Americas, were admired by and exhibited in the late 1930s alongside those of his friend Picasso."

"Simmons was drawn to Lam's expression of a humanism transcending the individual and to his effort to liberate the African heritage in Cuba from cultural subjugation through a conveyance of its spiritual basis. Another important influence for Simmons has been the art of the contemporary African-born painter Ouattara, who blends African and Western subjects through physically diverse materials and totemic, mythic imagery, expressing the way that personal identity today is hybrid in nature, bringing together experiences of colonial and postcolonial history."

Image courtesy of Spanierman Gallery

"Developing from these sources, Simmons's earlier paintings often incorporated figurative elements and specifically referenced such work as the bark paintings of the Pygmy people of the Ituri Forest of the Congo and Kente textiles from Ghana and Sudan. Gradually he developed his own visual language, using line, color and form as conduits for capturing the spiritualized essence of this work and making it his own. Rising at 5 a.m. to paint, Simmons works surrounded by silence, letting his canvases speak and evolve with their own rhythms and voices."

The gallery concludes with "A color is usually the starting point for Simmons. Mixing paint from powdered pigments, he will bind layers together and build up surfaces and then often peel or scrape them away, so that his method, as in a divination ritual, conveys us beyond the realm of the physical. With their dense textures, in which writhing color has a kinetic force that seems self-generated and glistening presences hover within palpable atmospheres, Simmons's paintings function as objects of power and mystery."

"Often Simmons will stare at a painting for days before its title comes to mind. 'Let's Communicate by Drums' to 'Confuse the Enemy' are among the most intriguing of his titles, referencing voodoo foot tapping and people who are able to perceive spirit. Another title, 'Dr. Gris-gris's Book of Potent Spells and Portents, Price $19.95' alludes ironically to the purchase-able nature of these 'commodities.'"

AC Hudgens and Thelma Hudgins.

In addition to his art, Simmons is also an author who published a novel, "Three Days as the Crow Flies" in 2004, consisting of a fictional account of the New York art scene in the 1980s, and a book of poetry, "I Dreamed My People Were Calling But Couldn't Find My Way Home" in 2007. In March 2010 his personal collection of African art, along with his own paintings, will be exhibited at Queensborough Community College in Bayside, New York, and will be the subject of a book entitled "House of the Spirit" that will accompany the exhibition.

This is Simmons's first exhibition at Spanierman Gallery, LLC at East Hampton, and the volume of work is both intriguing and interesting from this obviously talented and skilled artist.

For more information contact Helen Spanierman (helen@spanierman.com); or Terry Ross at (tross@spanierman.com). In New York City: Alice Hammond (alicehammond@spanierman.com),or 212-832-0208,or go to www.spanierman-at-easthampton.com

The exhibiton will be on display through November 23.