Libby and I were at Penn last week giving a talk for a class run by Artblog pal, artist and correspondent Colette Copeland. After the talk Copeland mentioned to us she had some work in the faculty show at the Charles Addams Gallery, so since we were nearby we went to check it out.
As with most exhibits that include video works, two of them were not working and the person at the desk in the office didn’t have a clue how to fix the situation. Not working: Copeland’s video installation and Nadia Hironaka‘s light switch video (luckily, we had seen both works before, Copeland’s in the Nexus project space and Hironaka’s in the Sean Stoops apartment show. See post).
(top image is the Copeland video installation.
Detail of another Copeland installation, this on the theme of women and abortion. That was the theme of the artist’s Carbon 14 show a few months back. See post.
[Ed. note: Copeland wrote us with some background information about the photogram piece and it clarifies that the work is not related to the abortion-themed show. Here’s what she said: “I enjoy other interpretations that differ from my intent (which had nothing to do with women or abortions, at least consciously) The piece started as a formal experimentation and ended up referencing “cloning gone awry” I made it around the time that dolly the sheep was getting all the press.” See more of Copeland’s work at her inliquid page where, in a few weeks time, she will have the “sausage” video screening as well.]
I don’t have a whole lot to say about the show except that the show is interesting, the Addams Gallery is a beautiful space — which has a full year of programming including student and faculty exhibits. Here are some pictures from the show. Mostly, it strikes me that Penn has hired a bunch of great faculty members. How those artists are able to juggle teaching and studio practice is beyond me.
Gabe Martinez candle that, I think, may have been in the artist’s “Confidence and Faith” exhibit at the Philadelphia Art Alliance. See previous post for link.
More Martinez, St. Theresa medals hanging from those antlers — perhaps also from “Confidence.”
Another Martinez piece, this one small pieces of cut paper each in the image of a bird. Burnt birds…maybe doves? An anti-war piece?
Josh Moseley told us when we ran into him the other week at ICA that he was working on an animation having to do with intelligent design. It was going to be clay animation I believe. Here are a couple Moseley sculptures and drawings — a dog and a cow — looking like they might be raw material for the intelligent design piece.
Scott White‘s interactive accordian which we had seen and loved at Bridgette Mayer Gallery in 2004. We played it again and it still makes beautiful music and is a gorgeous object. See post.
Terry Adkins piece, which Libby is looking up at, had a red suede interior that made it seem like a receptacle for relics. Oddly evocative.
Others in the show which is up to Sept. 30 at 200 s. 36th St. (hours, Mon-fri 10 am-5 pm): Matthew Courtney, Elizabeth Doering, Laura Frazure, Mark Lueders, Sumi Maeshima, Zachariah Rockhill, Nick Vidnovic.
Lecture Alert
And speaking of Penn, each year the School of Design has an artists’ lecture series (as, in fact, do the other colleges). Coming in this week Thursday, Sept. 29 is video artist extraordinaire Paul Pfeiffer, at 5:00 pm. B-3 Meyerson Hall. Here’s the complete lineup of visiting artists. This series is free and open to the public. I’m going to miss this, darnit. But I’d love to hear what Pfeiffer has to say. And one more thing, the Penn Humanities Council also has a lecture series. This week, Comix artist Art Spiegelman kicks off their Forum on Word & Image. 6:00 PM, Tuesday, September 27th, Irvine Auditorium. Tickets: $8; $5 all students (high school & college) Tickets on sale until 12 noon, Tuesday at Annenberg Center Box Office: 215.898.3900, 3680 Walnut Street. Tickets also on sale at Irvine Auditorium starting 4:00 pm Tuesday (two hours before the event). Cash only at Irvine.
I’ll be at this event which actually ties in with Slought’s “Comicology” exhibit, a guest-curated show that’s full of hand-made drawings from graphic novels by Charles Burns and others.
