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Hera Gallery presents "30 Under 30", a regional juried exhibition
from July 15 through August 19, 2006. With works selected by juror
Jo-Ann Conklin, curator of Brown University’s List Art Gallery, the
exhibition showcases work in all media of New England’s young, emerging
artists.
An opening reception, with music by modern minstrel and
performance poet Mike Cellemme and oboe-prodigy Jenn
Bessene,
will be held from 6 – 8
pm, Saturday, July 15.
What is contemporary art? Hera Gallery’s
latest exhibition, "30 Under 30" could
shine a light on one of the more difficult questions facing today’s
artists and critics. With
the decline of organized art movements, and the resistance by younger
generations to create and accept defining labels, the contemporary
art world can be categorized by its chaotic thrust toward individualism.
Some may say that the artist’s
first word has always been "I", but perhaps today's self-centric
artists are more willing to accept and even promote the idea that
the personal narrative is valid and compelling subject matter.
This attitude creates limitless space for the musings of the young
artist, as the playfulness of many pieces at Hera Gallery can attest
to.
The artists in "30 under 30", many
of them graduating from the Rhode Island School of Design's MFA
programs, others from Boston and New York, show an intriguing relationship
with unco
ventional materials, an imagination for invented subject
matter and an interest in eerily staged photographic scenes. Though
all media are represented in this exhibition including film, installation,
painting and sculpture, photography emerges as the most popular
choice for young artists. Of the 30 pieces on display, 13 of them
are large photographs, depicting images from frightening to familiar.
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Boston photographer, Claire Beckett presents three portraits of young,
female army recruits training for the war in Iraq. The recruits,
painfully young and inexperienced, are shown dressed in the costumes
of combat. Beckett invokes questions of youth and play, and the
relationship of today's youth to the brutalities of war. These
startling images are some of the only politically engaged works
in the show, contrasting the whimsical, and aesthetically centered
pieces that dominate the exhibition.
Speaking through the same medium, with a very different voice, recent RISD
grad, Ali Schmierer pokes and probes her camera into the intimate life of
her own family. Exhibiting the patience that only devoted parents can muster,
the Schmierers are caught in the calculated compromise of mundane, yet personal
moments. Relationships are examined, and the narrative of the self is placed
center stage.
Above:
Claire Beckett, Private Megan Cassidy at Basic Training,
Ft. jackson, S.C.,
c-print,
40" x 30", 2006
Left:
Ali Schmierer, Perched,
c-print, 32" x 22", 2006
Representing another popular theme among emerging artists, is Ria
Brodell, an MFA graduate of the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Tufts
University in Boston. Joining in the world of invented realities,
Brodell brings her imaginary characters to life in drawings and
miniature sculptures. These characters are called "The Birdmen" --
true to their name, Brodell depicts a non-descript form of a bird,
planting a beak on the face of an all together ordinary man. Through
these quirky characters she begins to tell a story of a strange
creature, in the process suggesting an imagined culture all her
own.
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Above: Ayumi Ishii, 10 minutes (of
Exhalation),
resin and monofilament, 120" x 120" x 64" high, 2005
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Working with the process of resin casting, RISD
MFA graduate, Ayumi
Ishii creates suspended installations, flowing with a
quiet drama. At first glance her piece, "10
Minutes of Exhalation",
appears as an abstract orchestra of floating forms. Each form
possesses distinct detailed qualities, human yet unattached to
a particular human experience. However, Ishii’s statement
explains how her own breath was captured in silicon molds, the
cavities cast to create each of these forms. Even in
a work that
appears supremely abstract, and unattached, the foundation of
this young artist's work is built of
personal exploration.
Hera Gallery's "30 Under 30" is a chance to walk through
the studios of New England art schools, presenting a rich and
truly diverse collection of work. The viewer is allowed a glimpse
into the world of young artists, unveiling the themes, aesthetics
and concerns that pervade this generation of emerging artists.
These programs are presented with partial support from The Rhode
Island State Council on the Arts, Hera Educational Foundation,
and The Friends of Hera. |
