| "95
Canal Project: Out of Our Element"
December
9, 2004 – January 15, 2005
press
release:
Chamber is pleased to announce 95 Canal Project: Out of Our Element,
a group exhibition inaugurating Bettina Smith and Christina Warner’s
first curatorial project. The opening reception is on Thursday,
December 9, from 6 – 8 pm, the exhibition continues through
January 15, 2005. Out of Our Element will feature painting, photography,
sculpture and video by Al Braithwaite, Ivan Cortazar, Melissa Dadourian,
Leonora Hamill, Henry Hemming, Matt Magee, Ryan Oakes, Trevor Oakes,
Alix Smith, Stephen Stapleton, Dave Symmonds and Foster Witt.
Whether witnessing a hurricane or a rampant forest fire, human beings
are innately aware of the tremendous power which nature holds over
us. Through a variety of mediums, the artists included in Out of
our Element attempt to capture the power and subtlety of fire, air,
earth and water. In their common desire to control these elements
they create visionary compositions and unique worlds.
Dave Symmonds’ luminous collages of water remind us more of
constellations and clusters of stars. In his sculpture composed
exclusively of matchsticks, Trevor Oakes subdues and controls the
irrepressible element of fire by containing it at its earliest stage.
The resin pieces of Matt Magee allude to a quiet introspection and
spirituality -- branches, bones and other found objects form a collection
of modern day fossils suspended in amber-colored resin. Melissa
Dadourian’s painting Mountain Girl depicts branches growing
out from the belly of a volcano, redefining forms in nature and
the human body to explore the notion of existence and the essence
of life.
All twelve artists included in Out of our Element come together
in a poetic dialogue examining both the metaphysical and organic
possibilities of fire, air, earth and water.
95 Canal Project is done in partnership with Chamber, a roving exhibition
space established in 1993. Its purpose is to use borrowed real estate
to provide a venue for artists outside the commercial gallery circuit.
95 Canal Project invites galleries and collectors to witness the
ability of these exceptional, emerging artists.
For more information please contact Bettina Smith or Christina Warner
at canal95project@yahoo.com. |
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