The swirling and vigorous ink drawing on the gallery walls by Atlanta artist William Downs is embellished by long strands of Christmas tinsel that swish and sway when humans move near (or away from) it. The remarkable drawing’s life in the gallery lasts only through Jan. 27. Deborah Krieger spoke to the artist at the opening. Read her pithy and elegant review and get to the gallery quick before the mural disappears.
Read MoreBecky Suss’s new paintings on view at Fleisher/Ollman honor the legacy of mid-century craftsman Wharton Esherick, whose home studio is in Chester County. Suss chronicles the spaces Esherick designed and occupied as well as the furniture he is known for, translated through her own vision of the spaces, places and objects. Architect and Artblog contributor Mandy Palasik interprets the show and examines the resonance between these two artists and their bodies of work. “Becky Suss/Wharton Esherick” is open through January 26, so make your plans to visit now!
Read MoreTina Plokarz takes a trip down to WIlmington to view Aaron Eliah Terry’s current exhibit at The Delaware Contemporary. Terry, who is a current member of Vox Populi, (as is Tina), makes collages, prints and sound installations that explore the relationship between music, visual culture and political activism from the 1960s and 70s until today. Get down to The Delaware quick before “Syncopated Samizdat” closes on January 10.
Read MoreSaba Taj’s current solo show at Twelve Gates Arts deftly combines humor, beauty and violence in speculative collage work that explores earth’s social and biological future from a queer, brown perspective. Deborah Krieger takes in the Durham-based multidisciplinary artist’s subversive “of beast/ of virgin” and reports.
Read MoreTaDa! Just for you, our annual curated list of notable people, groups, books, and other art world stuff from the outgoing year: The 2018 Liberta Awards!
Read MoreLike many local artists, Janyce Glasper treks up to New York every now and again to see what’s new. Here she fills us in on the latest from Nina Chanel Abney, who has just started translating the aesthetic of her politically-charged collage paintings into monoprints. If your plans take you to the big(ger) city, you can view Abney’s powerful, ambiguous work for yourself at Pace Prints through December 15, 2018.
Read MoreFor over a decade, Massachusetts-based artist, Gina Siepel has been using woodworking and other craft techniques to grapple with the myth of self-reliance and its relationship to both gender and nationalism. Here Levi Bentley speaks with Siepel about “Self-Made,” her current installation of objects, video and documents at Vox Populi, and pens a thoughtful response to the exhibition’s central themes. We can’t recommend this show enough, so read on and catch it before it closes on December 16, 2018.
Read MoreArtblog’s newest contributor is our Content Manager, Morgan Nitz! Here she visits The Edge of Precarity, a group show which opened October 27 at Little Berlin and which takes on the value of creative labor and the struggle to stay afloat in our post-recession economy.
Read MoreDeborah Krieger takes a trip to Rowan University Art Gallery to view Heather Ujiie’s current installation of large-scale digital prints and elaborate sculptural objects. Terra Incognita, with its intense color palette and diverse aesthetic influences, explores sexual identity in relation to a range of both natural and spiritual forces. Catch it before it closes on November 17, 2018.
Read MoreThe group exhibition, “Making a Difference: Social and Political Activism in Clay,” causes our reviewer to ponder the deeper meaning behind the words in the show’s title and to weigh in on how art can or cannot be an effective tool to spark societal change. This provocative exhibit is at The Clay Studio through Nov. 17, 2018, so run over and see it.
Read MoreBy now you’ve likely heard that Space 1026, one of Philly’s oldest collectively-run art spaces, is being forced out of its Arch street location. Here Chip Schwartz interviews current Space 1026 members and gives us the inside scoop on the organization’s bumpy beginnings and tenuous future. Read on to learn how these artists are turning a potential setback into an opportunity!
Read MoreIt’s easy to take the security that shelter provides for granted — until you find yourself out in the cold. Here Deb Krieger reviews “Shelter,” a new show at Davinci Art Alliance, presented in conjunction with Philadelphia Sculptors, which explores the vulnerability not only of our built environments, but of our own bodies and minds. This moving and topical exhibition closes September 26, 2018, so catch it while you still can!
Read MoreCongratulations to The Common Room on their one-year anniversary! Don’t know about them? Janyce Glasper is here to fill you in on this Fishtown gallery and workshop space that features work by women and non-binary artists. Read on for a sampling of what’s on view and be sure to stop by the store next time you’re in the neighborhood!
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Support for Artblog has been provided by The Philadelphia Cultural Fund.