Colin Keefe in front of work by John Slaby at Mt. Airy Contemporary

This was our first venture out there for the exhibit On the Fringe of Nature, with work by John Slaby (he had a Fleisher Challenge last year) and Brooklyn artists Siobhan McBride (a Penn fine arts grad) and Amy Chan–three representational artists using gouache on paper. Slaby’s dreamy, wry narratives evoke a sort of hipster eden that never was. McBride’s collage-like landscapes and lichen-like surfaces reel with the tension between flat and perspectival space. And Chan’s foliage and nature-inspired closeups, collaged or 3-dimensional, are supersized without the threat of say Alexis Rockwell.

by John Slaby; all art images in post courtesy of Mt. Airy Contemporary

In addition to the art, we are interested in the curating of the space–the Keefes are mashing up out-of-town artists with Philadelphia folks. If this show is any example, the aesthetics cohere notwithstanding the geographical distance.

Siobhan McBride, Moody House

The Keefes have created an elegant gallery space in the old out-building, with pristine, hanging walls that are architectural statements–a super space for exhibiting small works. The two of them, both artists, have their artist studios upstairs. In addition, Colin works as an IT consultant, and Andrea teaches at Central High School in Philadelphia. They moved here from Williamsburg when the realized they were outgrowing the youthful demographic of the neighborhood. The gallery location grows out of having a 3-year-old and a life that’s rooted in Mt. Airy.

Amy Chan

On First Fridays, they open the gate on the side of their house so people can walk into the gallery without going through the house. They’ve been getting impressive crowds of more than 100 local people with families in tow. Many of them probably wouldn’t even dream of heading to Center City for First Friday. The crowd also includes the artists and other art folks who come in from outside the neighborhood.

The model for showing art here is typical DIY. The place is a show space, not a business. If someone wants to buy a piece, the Keefes will put the artist in touch with the buyer directly. This way, there’s no business license or taxes. It’s a labor of love.

On the Fringe of Nature runs to Dec. 5.

Seripop, the Montreal screenprinting duo, blows into Space 1026 with a load of 400 rock band posters, books and zines to show and sell. Seripop, founded in 2002 by Chloe Lun and Yannick Desranleau, is the Space 1026 of Canada—an alternative print studio whose products have a funky, psychedelic vibe. The duo has won awards for their “gigposters” for underground music phenoms including Wolf Parade, Chinese Stars and their own band, AIDS wolf.

Seripop poster. Space 1026

Seripop’s bold graphic style and use of monsters, skulls and cartoon characters channel high school sketchbook art. The colors are a surprise—’50s-era pastels with weirdly non-complementary shades of orange, ochre, brown and lots of black. The text is almost unreadable in letters that seem to be melting, burning or twisting themselves into knots. But like rock posters from the 1960s, these contemporary works are less about the information than they are about commemorating the moment.

Nick Paparone. Vox Populi

There’s lots of great stuff at Vox Populi this month but Nick Paparone’s swansong installation is funnier, edgier and odder than anything else you’ll see. The Vox Pop member and co-founder of Black Floor, Copy and Print Liberation is headed to graduate school. Known for being secretive, Paparone doesn’t share what his installations look like before they’re hung but he’s known for his iconic representations of the human condition—usually made with common materials and gag props and sometimes involving performers. Previous works used black trash bags, rubber fried eggs and Mountain Dew in nauseating excess.

Two Together: Craig Kane and TImon Meyer at Mt. Airy Contemporary

Queens artists Craig Kane and Timon Meyers mine pop culture, mythology and personal history at Mount Airy Contemporary. Kane’s tiny, delicate sculptural installations in boxes, on the floor or on the wall use found materials—such as photos and tree branches—with hand-carved words to whisper about the ephemeral nature of life and human vulnerability. Meyers’ easel-sized digital photos merge appropriated television images from daytime tv with appropriated online images of mythological creatures like centaurs, the minotaur and elves. Television’s garish colors and harsh lighting make a great backdrop for beast-on-beast fighting scenes and close-ups of elfin-eared ladies.

Robert Scobey. Projects Gallery

Twenty-six young artists debut in Projects Gallery’s “Fresh,” a roundup that continues the gallery’s annual exploration of work by recent graduates who are relative unknowns. Gallery director Helen Meyrick says this year’s group is less focused on the body than in the past. Notable in a show that spans a wide range of materials, subjects and styles is David Solan’s futuristic installation in the gallery’s front window with spaceships suspended from the ceiling, exploding animals, pods and other sci-fi trappings all from recycled materials and metal. And watch out for Robert Scobey’s First Aid, a carved book that turns a first aid manual into a sexy collage of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and hands touching skin.

Seripop IBU400 x 2”: Through Sept. 15. Reception: Fri., Sept. 4, 7-10pm. Space 1026, 1026 Arch St., second fl. space1026.com
“Two Together”: Through Oct. 16. Reception: Fri., Sept. 4, 6-9pm. Mount Airy Contemporary Artists Space, 25 W. Mount Airy Ave. 215.764.5621. mountairycontemporary.com
“30 Days in the Hole”: Through Sept. 27. Reception: Fri., Sept. 4, 6-11 pm. Vox Populi, 319 N. 11th St., third fl. 215.238.1236. voxpopuligallery.org
“Fresh, 2009”: Through Oct. 31. Reception: Sun., Sept. 6, 6-9pm. Projects Gallery, 629 N. Second St. 267.303.9652.projectsgallery.com