Black & White, Opening August 2

Hammock culture is hanging strong in Asheville. Walk through any local park, and you’re sure to spot at least one mustachioed mountain man suspended between two oak trees in a nylon sling. (After all, the city is home to Eagles Nest Outfitters, makers of the ENO hammock.) Be this as it may, it was in Merida, Mexico, that Randy Shull realized the true possibility of hammocks. “The hammock, in the Yucatán, is used as the principal piece of furniture in the majority of the homes,” says Shull, who has shared his time between Mexico and Asheville for the past 18 years. “Families sleep in them, watch TV in them, and couples create families in them. They are beautiful, hand-woven, functional objects, with a simplicity that allows for living in a tropical climate.” Black & White, Shull’s upcoming solo show at Tracey Morgan Gallery, will feature works that use Yucatán hammocks as the core material. “The structure of the hammock is physically evident in the paintings and, with these newer works, the hammock is playing a stronger role in the overall gestalt,” he explains. The show runs through mid-September.