Posts By tiernan alexander

Video Served Three Ways – Little Berlin, Great and Terrible Collective and Rebekah Templeton

I am sometimes impatient with video art. I complain about the seating (or lack thereof) the tiny screens, weird sounds conflicting as you move from one display to the next, but I am here to sing the joys of three shows where video is a pivotal element. This weekend is your last chance to see the shows at Little Berlin and Great and Terrible Collective, while the wonderful live!infili! at Rebekah Templeton has already finished. These shows include sculpture, drawing, animation, installation, and sound and light displays, but each showcases video in a unique or adventurous way.

Suspect Device at Extra Extra

The idea of infinite functionality is so pervasive in our culture that we are no longer satisfied with objects that only do one thing well. A phone must also be a camera and a stereo and a mail carrier. This battle between functionality and design is on display at Extra Extra in a four-person show organized by Ingrid Burrington. Burrington, who is also in the show, collected videos, installations, and sculptures that imply a functionality that turns out to be a somewhat goofy deception. 

Kevin Baker, Tom Costa & Austin Eddy at Jolie Laide

Jolie Laide, a new gallery near City Hall on Juniper Street, opened the doors to their first show with the brightly-colored, funny and melancholy works of Kevin Baker, Tom Costa, and Austin Eddy—the decorative, the decayed, and the domestic. The large new space is bright and welcoming with exposed brick and open space in the front room and italian plaster walls in the rear gallery. It provides an interesting architectural background for the current show which features both architecture and interiors. Although Jolie Laide already represents local artist Jordan Griska, their debut show highlights experienced, but little-known artists that are new to the Philadelphia art scene.

Rachel Mason’s The Deaths of Hamilton Fish at Marginal Utility

On January 16, 1936 the Peekskill Evening Star newspaper ran two unrelated stories on the front page. One about a man being put to death in the electric chair, and the other about a wealthy man who had died; both were named Hamilton Fish. That is the germ of The Deaths of Hamilton Fish, an art installation, song cycle and film series created by Rachel Mason and now on display at Marginal Utility. Mason uses lighting and décor to create an eerie atmosphere that contains a sense of nostalgia and melancholy echoed in the songs and films about Hamilton Fish ... More » »

Minimal, Emotional, and Visceral in Old City

Two types of minimalism sit side by side on 2nd street this month. At Larry Becker Contemporary Art Max Cole: Light and Line contains thirteen recent paintings in black and white. Cole’s work has changed in subtle shifts over 30 years and this new work is very consistent with her painting style while continuing that steady development. Horizontal stripes dominate the paintings, but on inspection some of the wide swaths are constructed of tiny parallel vertical lines that blend together into soft, tonal areas. As hairs combine to create the solid mass of a paintbrush, these individual strokes merge into ... More » »

Drama, dumplings and farms of clay at Locks and Sande Webster

For clay drama and dumplings head over to  Locks Gallery.  The mix of work by Betty Woodman on the second floor and Jun Kaneko, Kathy Butterly and Jill Bonovitzon the third is a treat. The small cup-like forms of Butterly and Bonovitz work well together because of their similarity in scale and shape. Both are adorned with flourishes reminiscent of George Ohr.  

Print, clay and sculpture shine at Bahdeebahdu and Schmidt-Dean

Warren Muller and RJ Thornburg’s bahdeebahdu gallery  provides an intricate and sumptuous setting for art and the recent exhibition Emergence takes full advantage of it. Curated by Brooke Hine , the show combines clay, fiber, and print works in a move that takes advantage of the many recent conferences that have raced through town leaving a number of exhibits in their wakes.

Art and technology in Kensington

Much of the work around the Kensington area this month questions the divide between technology and artist. First up is the Brad Troemel Pre-career Retrospective at Extra Extra Gallery. The gallery directors curated the show entirely from Troemel’s website selecting images of work, installations, and videos and installing the show without consulting the artist in the process. On the Extra Extra website they explain: “This gesture of presenting work without the consent of the creator is emblematic of immaterial art’s free movement into any receptive home.”