First a sprinkler leak and then a burst pipe has Bambi moving to a temporary home away from home this month. But the show must go on, says Candace Karch, Bambi proprietress. Only it’s going on at Proximity Gallery’s space (see map here), instead of at Bambi’s normal digs at the Piazza. The opening for Daniel Forrest Hoffman and Gretchen Diehl’s exhibition is tonight, First Friday, from 6-10pm. In happier news, Karch and Bambi are featured on WHYY TV’s Friday Arts segment. Here’s a 6-minute clip of the program that you can watch on the web (spoiler alert, the video also ... More » »
Hundreds of shows open in Philadelphia this fall, far too many to include in this short roundup. Six shows caught my fancy, but they’re just the tip of the iceberg. Nowhere at Arcadia (Sept. 23-Nov. 7. arcadia.edu)
Hiro Sakaguchi is an honest curator. His curatorial statement for “I Just Can’t Get You Out of My Mind” at Seraphin Gallery reads: “I choose artists whose works I want to see again for selfish reasons.” Simple enough. And, as uncalculated as his curation may be, Sakaguchi still managed to weave together a diverse and talented group of artists he discovered in the Philadelphia-area, all of whom tackle conceptually and aesthetically complicated issues with ease. By using personal taste to navigate the curatorial process, one begins to understand just what it is that Sakaguchi is interested in: detailed, relatively small ... More » »
Jeffro Kilpatrick was planning to propose to his sweetheart, Joannie, at his May 7 opening at Fishtown’s Proximity Gallery. But that seemed too public. “I don’t know if I want to put that much of myself out there,” he said during an interview at his studio last week. Besides, he suspected Joannie had caught a whiff of the plan. He thought if he moved it up to the morning, that would catch her by surprise.
This week’s Weekly has my First Friday picks. Little Berlin ’s “ Works on Paper Rejects ”—with drawings, prints, photos and sculpture by artists rejected from the recent Works on Paper exhibit at Arcadia University —is the hot opening this Friday. Artists are still steamed about the juried Arcadia show, comprised of only 22 works out of a record 1,256 entries submitted by 567 artists. Intentionally or not, “Rejects” will give you an idea of how difficult it is to jury a show of that magnitude.
This week’s Weekly has my review of Dia De Los Muertos at Proximity Gallery. Below is my copy with pictures. Dia de los Muertos at Proximity Gallery is one of those rare art world animals — a show without conceptual bullying or delusions of grandeur. Instead, the exhibit of 43 works by members of the illustrator’s collective, the Autumn Society, is a parade of optical pleasures and a celebration of skeletons and Day of the Dead mythology.
Chris Clark, Willow Street, from his show at Proximity Gallery. Chris Clark‘s show of paintings and works on paper at the new boutique/gallery Proximity in Fishtown almost sold out at the opening. The heavily-layered and lovingly-worked paintings on wood and paper with eco and political (anti-war) themes and dark, mysterious backgrounds are great to look at. And the works are no-nonsense priced to move ($200-400 range). Who bought? People from the neighborhood bought the work, said Clark and Proximity’s owner, Janel Frey. It wasn’t just friends and family. Clark and Proximity Gallery owner, Janel Frey in the lovely corner ... More » »