Vox Members Shows

Julianna Foster’s From Morning On

Julianna Foster‘s From Morning On continues the artist’s exploration of narrative through serial photography. This group of photographs shows gorgeous misty landscapes, decrepit mystery interiors that are also misty; claustrophobic backyard mists and more. It’s like the misty moors of Wuthering Heights come to the American Northeast farmland. The actor is a woman who performs ambiguous and rather static actions (listening through a wall; blowing dust off a box; staring out a window). And, maybe it’s because he just died, I’m thinking about Andrew Wyeth‘s dreamy, romantic and nostalgic Americana. Of course, Eileen Neff‘s tres post-modern photos of anthropomorphized clouds who dance with trees and have a lovely existence in the woods and inside houses also come to mind. Foster’s work intrigues by remaining ambiguous at its core, but its lyricism and beauty draw you in. This series is open enough to let all minds wander around and claim the territory for their own.  And let’s not forget we’re in Oscar season.  What kind of movie would this be?

Juliana Foster From Morning On

Several of the photos are framed but not under glass and those pieces become more palpably real — like objects — in a way the glass-framed pieces aren’t. It’s the same non-glass framing Zoe Strauss used for her recent show at Silvertstein and the strategy gives the photos immediacy and plays up their sensuality.

James Johnson, Break, view through the glass door.

James Johnson‘s Break is a breakout piece. The artist used to work in small boxes, putting dollhouse-sized photos in spaces accessible through a peephole or other voyeuristic device. Break is a life-size box (a whole room in the gallery) separated from the viewer by a locked, glass-panel door (the artist selected the door, he says, for its resemblance to Maurizio Catalan’s The Wrong Gallery door.)  Outfitted like it’s a small office this big box has a desk, easy chair, books and slippers. At the opening and at other times during the show’s run it will also have the artist, in residence, sitting, reading, writing and cogitating in the space. Johnson says it’s not a performance piece, but when the artist puts his body in the picture I read it that way. The theatrical aspect pushes into rich territory and I am excited to see where the artist goes next. Artist trapped in a box? I can see that going far.

Eva Wylie, A Continuous Shuffle of Earthturf

Eva Wylie‘s A Continuous Shuffle of Earthturf is a continuous shuffle of imagery in the artist’s virtuoso silkscreen-on-wall method.  From afar the piece looks like an asymmetrical array of candy-colored floating toys or balloons. Up close, the images come into focus as a profusion of women’s hair pieces:  long plaits — thick, double-braidings and solitary ropes — mostly upside down.  Something about the shape of the plaits and their relation to the crown of the head gives them a topsy-turvy jellyfish look, which I quite like. I have no idea what the work is about–whether it’s celebratory or wry — but the image, screened right onto the pristine wall, is dazzling.

Eva Wylie, A Continuous Shuffle of Earthturf (detail)

Vox Alumni show

It’s great that the alternative space continues to showcase its alumni members which allows you to catch up with the artists, or in some cases, meet them for the first time.

Merilee Challiss

Merrilee Challiss‘ delicate white on black works on paper with pinking sheer edges and what appear to be embroidery hoop frames are Edward Gorey-delightful. The work nods to arts and crafts and book illustration and is a nice mix of old, new, high and low.

John T. Lange

John T. Lange‘s mini landscape projection via two clattery old film projectors has a hobby shop charm.

Anne Schaefer.  Photo by Libby.

Anne Schaefer‘s little tower of patterned boxes is elegant and seems like it walked in from the AiA Bookstore — meta-architectural blocks for kids to play with.

Video Lounge

In the video lounge, David Tinapple‘s Scatter Square translates a seascape into a series of digital rows and columns of tiles which it then flips around reconfiguring the landscape like one of those old-fashioned tile games that you can now get for your keychain. There’s a solitary soul on the beach and it’s funny to think of the person being shuffled around willy nilly not even knowing what’s happening. But I guess that’s life for you.

Art Star, the little boutique up on Liberty Walk in Northern Liberties, continues to show good examples of what I like to think of as Goth Kitsch. But the show that’s up right now by Merrilee Challiss has some work that stands out. I especially liked her stitched prints. The printed image is a multiple, but the stitching for each print is unique, sewing the layers of paper together and thereby suggesting family heirlooms–something we need to value and protect all at once.

Merrilee Challiss, Web Dwellers, mixed on wood

Challiss, who previously showed at the still-not-forgotten Spector Gallery in Philadelphia, has a number of paintings, many also with deer–today’s fave harbinger of eco-disaster. But the piece I thought transcended genres and seemed less dogmatic was a lacy garden of flowers and spider webs that double as gears and orbits, with interwoven Goth Aubrey Beardsley girls, one a giant caterpillar and some sporting antlers. The sense of nature’s machinery, danger, and Eden, plus the beauty of the patterning, are intriguing and beyond the expected.

by Jaeran Won

Also at Art Star, I liked some sweet and naughty pillows by English artist Jaeran Won. I’m on the fence on some prints by Amy Rice that look like old-fashioned book illustrations. They are very pretty, but this one also has a little edge to it.

Amy Rice, Wings with Attitude

Rice’s work, which was the previous show, is still up on the walls because the gallery buys art just as it buys any product that it sells. This is not your traditional gallery consignment system, but really a more commercial approach. I thought that was kind of interesting. I’ll take a gross.

The Challiss exhibit closes the 14th.

THURSDAY, SEPT. 6

Eileen Neff, at ICA and Locks Gallery
Circle in the Rain, 2007
C-print mounted on aluminum
15 x 28 ½ inches
Courtesy of the artist and Locks Gallery, Philadelphia

ICA
118 S. 36th St. Philadelphia
215.898.7108
Opening reception — free and open to the public — Thursday, Sept. 6, 6-8 pm.

We’re going to listen to Guest-Curator Christian Marclay‘s melody makers–a world class ensemble of noise makers at ICA. From local music sculptor Terry Adkins to Doug Aitken to Yoko Ono, the sonic show will make a boom! Upstairs, local photographer Eileen Neff who captures trees that seem to want to speak and other ghostly intimations–not to be missed. Neff, by the way, will have a companion solo show at Locks Gallery Sept 7-29 (see Friday for more).

FRIDAY, SEPT. 7

Robert Zakanitch at Locks Gallery
Red Squirrel (Lace Series), 2001
acrylic on canvas
55 x 69 inches

Robert Rahway Zakanitch at Locks Gallery
600 Washington Square South
215.629.1000
Opening reception Friday, Sept. 7, 5:30-7:30 pm

Painter of lace, Zakanitch recognizes lace as a cultural object and makes it current. More about community knitting itself together than about lace, Zakanitch’s works are surprises. And wait til you see the size–huge! Prehensile lace. And upstairs, as we mentioned above, Eileen Neff will have more of her mysterious digital photographs. Opening reception Friday, Sept. 7

Merrilee Challiss at Art Star.
1030 N. 2nd St., Unit 301
215 238 1557
Opening reception Friday, Sept. 7, 5-9pm

Mixed media paintings, prints and hand-made and printed tote bags by the former Spector Gallery and Vox Pop artist with an impressive resume. Art Star gets props for continuing its great exhibition program along with its cute boutique tchotchkas. Bring your skateboard or bike–this venue’s in the East Girard Arts Corridor (aka Northern Northern Liberties).

Extra Curricular at Topstitch

Extra-Curricular at Topstitch
311 Market Street, 2nd Floor
267.322.4057
Opening reception September 7th from 6 – 10 PM
Illustration show on the topic of back to school —with a great lineup including Derek Ihnat, Hawk Krall, Jayson Scott Musson, Carrie Powell, Damian Weinkratz, Shira Walinsky and way, way more.

Khmer Art Gallery
319 N. 11th St. (at Wood St.–same bldg as Vox and Copy)
Philadelphia, PA
215-922-5600
Opening Reception, September 7, 5 pm-9 pm

Local filmmaker and Temple MFA candidate Rini Yun Keagy will screen her film ,Yellow, at Khmer, a gallery devoted to Cambodian art work, old and new. The film explores ethnic identity and class issues.

There’s usually something good at Vox Populi and Copy and Space 1026 but at this time we have no information.

ALSO

Some other things to see are Principles of Uncertainty a collaboration between filmmaker Nadia Hironaka, and Eugene Lew and Miro Dance Theatre (Amanda Miller and
Tobin Rothlein). Free and in the street (2rd and Race) at 7:45, 8:30 and 9:30 pm

Robert Straight, at Schmidt-Dean Gallery
Untitled, 2007
37×34″ acrylic and laser cut paper on canvas

Robert Straight at Schmidt-Dean Gallery.
1710 Sansom St. 215 569 9433
opening reception Friday, Sept. 7, 5:30-7:30 pm

Exquisite Corpse–collaborative paintings, show curated by John Freeborn
Painted Bride
230 Vine Street
215.925.9914
Opening Reception Friday, Sept. 7 5-7 pm

Reprint
Temple Gallery — Temple Gallery/Philagrafika collaborative show
259 N. 3rd Street
215.925.7379
Opening Reception: September 7, 6 – 9 pm

ALSO….ON SATURDAY

Wind Fleisher Challenge 1
Fleisher Art Memorial
719 Catharine Street
215.922.3456
Opening Reception Saturday, September 8th, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m