"It's A Chocolate Party" At Flame Run Features Mixed Media Glass Artist Jason Chakravarty

Artist uses astronaut motif and neon gas to create illuminating art that reflects on the effects of social networking

Flame Run contemporary art glass studio in Louisville, Kentucky will be showcasing the work of Jason Chakravarty, a versatile mixed media artist whose work often includes a signature feature -- an astronaut dressed for space travel.

The exhibit, which was named after a common mispronunciation of the first letters of the artist's last name, opens July 6 and runs through September 1. An opening-night reception begins at 5 p.m. with a demonstration at 7 p.m.

Chakravarty chose an astronaut because of the mystical, uncertain way we feel about space travel. He hopes the ambiguity of the person in a space suit encourages people to relate to his art personally. "The astronaut could be anyone of any race, male or female," he said. "I want people to put themselves in the astronaut's place and feed off that into their own story."

Chakravarty typically works with cast glass but his latest work also incorporates the illumination of neon gas using the same technique that is used to light commercial neon signs hanging in storefronts or restaurants. "Jason incorporates a lot of different techniques that you don't often see together and there are interesting themes behind it all," said Brook Forrest White Jr., Flame Run owner.

Chakravarty's latest work also reflects the public's obsession with social media. "I'm fascinated with the way relationships are linked and maintained in this new social networking world." He commented that through social media, a person can become more up to date with someone whom they have never met than with the happenings in a long-term friend's life. "It is something I think about a lot in my work," said Chakravarty.