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Launch at CADD Art Lab through September 3
The works in this show were hand selected by Anne Lawrence and the CADD (Contemporary Art Dealers of Dallas) board from MFA candidates and recent graduates. A cross-section of different mediums, styles and concepts abound. The level of the work was high overall, but there were a handful of artists of particular interest.
Clearly inspired by Donald Judd’s wall-mounted boxes, the minimalist Nate Glaspie builds on that inspiration with his sculpture “Overton Plaza”. A mirror and perorated metal plate sit on a shelf of layered corrugated cardboard. The group of wall-mounted boxes reflects light in stripes of circles back onto the wall in curiously alternating circles and ovals. The reflected light is where the payoff really came with this series.
Kelly Flynn’s photograph “War 1” pits a firework made to look like a military tank against a firework made to look like a chicken. There is humor and sadness in the chicken that never crossed the road. The image is one of four photos in a cluster of firework related images.
The following artists are included in the exhibition, Adrian Aguirre, Julie Barnofski, Angel Cabrales, Todd Camplin, Gabriel Dawe, Kelly Flynn, Nate Glaspie, Timothy Harding, Elizabeth Higgins, Mona Kasra, Kyle Kondas, Jung Eun Lee, Tom Leininger, Mike Mazurek, and Sarah Williams.
Of additional interest, the Art Lab is hosting two events, a panel discussion and an art talk. There are often two “Art Socials” during the run of an exhibit in the space, which consists of a couple of artists discussing their work and that of the other artist that they are paired with. There have been lively discussions, including among others Tracy Hicks and David H. Gibson (my uncle and employer). It is an educational and often fun way to get another perspective on the show. Details from the website to follow.
Graduate Student Panel Discussion, Thurs., Aug. 13, 7 p.m. Featuring Victoria DeCuir, Nate Glaspie, Mona Kasra, Tom Leininger, John Pomara, and Anne Lawrence Artists’ Talk, Thurs., Sept. 3, 7 p.m. Featuring artists in the exhibition on the closing day of the show.
Nate Glaspie "Overton Plaza"
Kelly Flynn "War 1"
New Texas Talent at Craighead Green Gallery
Dr. Charissa N. Terranova curated this year’s New Texas Talent exhibition at Craighead Green Gallery. The distinction between a juried and curated show should be noted. A juried show would likely pull the best of the work that was submitted, whereas a curated show might seek to convey a concept set forth by the curator. In the press release for the show Terranova says, “…this work is in no way metaphysical” and, “…the works in this exhibition collectively make a statement on materiality and materialism”. The full press release can be found on the Craighead Green Gallery website.
There were some elegant works in the show this year that deserve the spotlight. Luis Nieto Dickens’ "City Development Project", a yellow on black woodcut of an aerial city view was a standout. It was direct and restrained. Another work that demonstrated beauty through simplicity was the Jeff Whatley’s sculpture entitled, "The Healer". The work was a vertical slab and a fragment of concrete lashed together and based with steel. It was a compelling example of minimalist sculpture. Finally, the Plexiglas box that contained cascading blond hair by artist Gabe Hochmuth was beautiful and unnerving simultaneously. In Hochmuth’s piece, "Tracy", it is assumed that the work is indebted in more than name alone, but that a piece Tracy’s is in the piece.
There were many fun, colorful and light works in addition to the pieces mentioned here. Actually, whimsy was the broader focus of the show. Having heard a gallery talk at The McKinney Avenue Contemporary, Terranova expressed an affinity for mundane everyday objects and spaces. This show reiterates her mission from a broader perspective.
Full disclosure: I entered and was rejected from this show. Every effort to steer the topic toward works that I feel truly deserve recognition were made, hopefully in an honest and unprejudiced manner.
The McKinney Avenue Contemporary celebrates it's fifteenth year anniversary with a member's show inspired by the number fifteen. The MAC asked members to submit work that incorporated the number fifteen in the work by any means the artist might choose. There is a lot of work in the show this year, and it is always well attended. Also of note, Gail Sachson will be giving an art talk about the membership show on Wednesday, August 12 from 6:30-7:30 PM. She is incredibly knowledgeable about the Dallas art community and beyond.
The opening is this Saturday from 5:30 - 7:30 PM at The MAC.
Heyd Fontenot artist talk at Conduit Gallery, Saturday, July 11, 2009
After a brief introduction by Nancy Whitenack, owner of Conduit Gallery, Heyd Fontenot (pronounced hide font-in-o) began taking questions from the audience. The artist’s easy-going attitude kept the conversation light, even when discussing serious subjects. His muttonchops and blue southwestern shirt with white embroidery was an appropriate compliment to his casual delivery. Many aspects of the artist’s life and art were revealed in the dialogue, beginning with his childhood on a farm in Louisiana.
Heyd Fonenot talked about his early rural lifestyle, part of which meant taking care of livestock. Early on Fontenot developed an affinity for the farm animals, especially goats. His bond with goats remains intact today, though in Austin he is far from the rural setting of his youth. The artist pointed to the tarnished reputation of the goat that he had once bonded with, citing the transformation of the god Pan in the pagan world into a demon in the Christian world as an example of how perceptions shift in time. Fontenot discussed the shift as symbolized in his exhibition with a shoulder mounted silver leafed gazelle, transformed with a beard made from a flokoti (Greek rug) into a goat.
Gluttony was pointed to as another aspect of rural Louisiana life, particularly when it came to food. The marvels of the Turducken were discussed at length. For the uninitiated, a Turducken is a turkey stuffed with a duck stuffed with a chicken. I have been told that it originates from royal renaissance cuisine. Today it has a more down-home quality. As Fontenot remarked, “If anything is against nature, it has to be stuffing animals one inside another until you can’t fit anymore.”
Ribbons and plaques mounted on the walls with stars, feather plumes, and mounted animal heads point to a commemoration of rituals past. The artist discussed his devotion to the Roman Catholic Church growing up. Eventually he broke from the church at the age of 22 because of the conflict he felt between Catholicism and his sexual persuasion. The importance of symbolism in the religious relics of his formative years resurfaces in his current work. Portraits on wood panels are assembled as though they are altarpieces and point to the artist’s religious conflict through use of pagan symbols.
There is a lot of figurative work in the show, both painted and drawn. The figures are contra-mannerist with child-like proportions; yet, they maintain the feel of an adult body. Working with friends as models, Fontenot takes photos that he uses later for the finished work. The artist said that the abstracted figures were born of an opposition to portraits of a more academic appearance.
Fontenot began outlining the high points of his artistic career by talking about an early installation at Lawndale Art Center in Houston, Texas, that was important. That show helped him find gallery representation in Houston. A move to Austin, Texas, in the 1980s was also an important step in the artist’s development. Today, Fontenot exhibits across the country, including Art Palace in his adopted home of Austin and Conduit Gallery in Dallas, Texas. Heyd Fontenot’s current installation at Conduit, titled “Get Your Wood On,” consists of work completed within the last 14 months. “Get Your Wood On” closes Saturday, July 18, 2009.
This Thursday the Dallas Museum of Art is hosting an artist talk with Mark Bradford. Featured in the fourth season of Art:21, Bradford creates his work from found posters and found street ephemera in Los Angeles. When complete, his works often look like topographical maps.
Please note that Conduit Gallery's 25th Anniversary celebration is this Saturday from 6-8 PM. Congratulations to Conduit owner and director Nancy Whitenack and assistant director Danette Dufilho on this accomplishment.
Conduit Gallery is hosting an artist talk with Heyd Fontenot on Saturday, July 11 at 3 pm. His show at the gallery titled "Get Your Wood On" is heavy with symbolism and allusions. Hopefully some of his references will be illuminated.
Lots of first Thursday shows tonight on Dragon Street and Bishop Arts in Oak Cliff to kick off this independence weekend. The galleries are deep into poppy summer shows at the moment, so get out there and see some of the great work at Conduit, Holly Johnson Gallery and Barry Whistler to name but a few. Also, the Dallas Museum of Art is open until 9 tonight.
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