so i just booked my flight to New York, and even though i'm going to be gone for only a couple days, i'm kinda sorta very excited... : )
it's march 4 now, two days post the opening for Dominic Moore's MFA thesis show "You're Gonna Love It Here." i cannot find the words to give the show the justice/respect/praise deserved. comment as you wish about biasness, but these strong reactions are not from my lips alone. i wish i had recorded the talk he gave yesterday regarding his work. it was powerful.
below you will find Moore's artist statement as well as images from the show. enjoy.
below you will find Moore's artist statement as well as images from the show. enjoy.
What you see here...I remember from a very young age looking out onto the drive through the kitchen screen door of my Grandparents house. I must have stood there for some time; this memory is always present... I remember thinking intensely on the idea of my mortality, and I had this fear inside that prompt me to ask, "Grandma, when am I going to die…?" She looked at me, smiled softly and said, "Not for a very long time my dear!" This question has never subsided. This commonality we all share, and it's in this, that these images hold their weight. I feel that even though we struggle with the inundation of ideas and multi mediafication of mind numbing entertainment, this question still finds its way to the surface. In light of recent events here at NIU, the concept of foraging on is plastered all throughout the community. This will inevitably happen, and the curatorial presention deals with a way in which this occurs.
My work is about mortality. The images representing individuals in sterile clinical spaces subvert the original intention of what were medical journals/industry advertisements into the read of who is doing what to whom and why are they doing it; giving life or taking it? They also bring to mind the ongoing debate of Social Security, as well as; are we secure and should we trust those in our social spaces?
When we think of social spaces, we cannot leave out the online communities. And we must assume that these new communities are being forced to deal with the issues of mortality in a real way as well as the mortality of this artificial realm. The Myspace drawings are from an unaltered profile of a Myspace user that has died of a drunk driving accident in which she was driving. The full scope of this project is not so much about her, but about the way in which her online friends deal with their loss.
Their grief is self-voyeurism as it oddly reflects the communication they had with her via "Comments" while she was alive.
As it goes with most ideas about this human dilemma, people avoid or people gravitate towards a fix. Here I offer up the perfect blend. Masters of The Universe, my favorite childhood cartoon.
He-Man "The Most Powerful Man in the Universe" and the diametric "Evil Lord of Destruction" Skeletor allegorically mimic the (after-life) Judaeo-Christian tradition of good and evil. They embody the power we wish to hold over our mortality while offering an entertaining alternative to directly dealing with questions similar to that of, "Grandma, when am I going to die…?"
as you walked down Superior between Wells and Orleans, the crowds filled the street for great art, wine, and never ending conversations with their fellow art lovers.
in attempts to view the aforementioned galleries, our (Lindy and myself) first stop was Zg Gallery which drew us in with their bright lights, easy to manage crowd, and art that seemed worthy of a glance. their featured artist Ben Butler's untitled, cedar sculpture was probably the most interesting piece in the show. upon arriving at the sculpture you are enticed to feel it's apparent smooth surface, but a look at the back makes you appreciate the work on a greater level. his woodblock prints were also interesting and the whole show, compiled with no more than fifteen pieces, created a nice wooded environment. The back office held a small exhibition with gallery artists in which Anna Joelsdottir's where do they all go? caught my eye.
the second stop was up a few floors to David Weinberg Gallery. always a fun affair. they don't miss anything with their openings as directer/owner David Weingberg graciously converses with his guests, curator Aaron Ott carries his oversized wine glass, eagerly speaking about the current installation, and all the other friendly employees extend a greeting and impart their own knowledge to the crowd. the gallery featured two artists, Sebastian Lemm and Amanda Friedman. both artists are working with nature themed subjects. The ambient lighting in Friedman's photographs were breathtaking. if the gallery wasn't packed and i had more time on my hands, i felt as though i could stair at these photos for hours. i did not take to an instant liking, however, to Lemm's work, who was exhibited in the main gallery, but after reading some literature on his process, i left with a better understanding.
gallery three was Roy Boyd Gallery. we walked into a sparsely congregated space, but were graciously greeted with chocolate altoids! all in all i liked the solo show by Marco Casentini but each canvas seemed to have at least one quality (usually the color combination) that would piss me off. the canvases were interesting with different textures, some containing Plexiglass, and the variety of thickness of the canvas itself visualized a three-dimensional quality.
we then headed back on Superior to Printworks. Tiny, tiny space, exhibiting the work of Michiko Itatani. Interesting, but not for me. This was a quick stop before we ascended to the fourth floor to check out Kenneth Josephson at Stephen Daiter Gallery. great show in my opinion. the crowd was familiar as everyone seemed to make their way from gallery to gallery. the room was comfortably packed. the show was entitled "The First 50 Years" presented a vast range of Josephson's photographic series from the last fifty years in his life. it started with a much appreciated humor, then took a more serious approach, sometimes nearing nostalgia, and then to a more racier side. the interesting part is noting the dates of the series. check out the link to see a majority of the show.
we ended the night here, as it was narrowing 8:00, and went to Brehon's Pub around the corner for some dinner and drinks. It was a fabulous evening to say the least. Fine art, fine company, and definitely a fine way to end the week. unfortunately i still had to work today, so i'm exhausted, and will end on that note. enjoy the rest of your weekend.
what i'll be checking out next:
Sunday, March 2 3-5 pm
Dominic Moore: Gallery 214, NIU, DeKalb IL
in attempts to view the aforementioned galleries, our (Lindy and myself) first stop was Zg Gallery which drew us in with their bright lights, easy to manage crowd, and art that seemed worthy of a glance. their featured artist Ben Butler's untitled, cedar sculpture was probably the most interesting piece in the show. upon arriving at the sculpture you are enticed to feel it's apparent smooth surface, but a look at the back makes you appreciate the work on a greater level. his woodblock prints were also interesting and the whole show, compiled with no more than fifteen pieces, created a nice wooded environment. The back office held a small exhibition with gallery artists in which Anna Joelsdottir's where do they all go? caught my eye.
the second stop was up a few floors to David Weinberg Gallery. always a fun affair. they don't miss anything with their openings as directer/owner David Weingberg graciously converses with his guests, curator Aaron Ott carries his oversized wine glass, eagerly speaking about the current installation, and all the other friendly employees extend a greeting and impart their own knowledge to the crowd. the gallery featured two artists, Sebastian Lemm and Amanda Friedman. both artists are working with nature themed subjects. The ambient lighting in Friedman's photographs were breathtaking. if the gallery wasn't packed and i had more time on my hands, i felt as though i could stair at these photos for hours. i did not take to an instant liking, however, to Lemm's work, who was exhibited in the main gallery, but after reading some literature on his process, i left with a better understanding.
gallery three was Roy Boyd Gallery. we walked into a sparsely congregated space, but were graciously greeted with chocolate altoids! all in all i liked the solo show by Marco Casentini but each canvas seemed to have at least one quality (usually the color combination) that would piss me off. the canvases were interesting with different textures, some containing Plexiglass, and the variety of thickness of the canvas itself visualized a three-dimensional quality.
we then headed back on Superior to Printworks. Tiny, tiny space, exhibiting the work of Michiko Itatani. Interesting, but not for me. This was a quick stop before we ascended to the fourth floor to check out Kenneth Josephson at Stephen Daiter Gallery. great show in my opinion. the crowd was familiar as everyone seemed to make their way from gallery to gallery. the room was comfortably packed. the show was entitled "The First 50 Years" presented a vast range of Josephson's photographic series from the last fifty years in his life. it started with a much appreciated humor, then took a more serious approach, sometimes nearing nostalgia, and then to a more racier side. the interesting part is noting the dates of the series. check out the link to see a majority of the show.
we ended the night here, as it was narrowing 8:00, and went to Brehon's Pub around the corner for some dinner and drinks. It was a fabulous evening to say the least. Fine art, fine company, and definitely a fine way to end the week. unfortunately i still had to work today, so i'm exhausted, and will end on that note. enjoy the rest of your weekend.
what i'll be checking out next:
Sunday, March 2 3-5 pm
Dominic Moore: Gallery 214, NIU, DeKalb IL
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
