Viewing entries in
2011

December 2010

December 2010

Magnolia Laurie | holding up

Jon Bobby Benjamin | going home

Hamiltonian Gallery is pleased to present a new two-person exhibition: Magnolia Laurie, holding up; Jon Bobby Benjamin, going home. Both Laurie and Benjamin have employed the politics of place, each highlighting the debris of our throw-away culture, breathing new life into the idle spaces and objects which surround us in an ever-expanding eld. In her new series, holding up, Magnolia Laurie illustrates geometric structures that depict cumulated residual heaps of natural and man-made materials that remain after a storm. Seemingly disordered, her paintings are composed of architectural elements that suggest the engineering of Buckminster Fuller’s Dymaxion as well as the intricate weaving of bird nests. These delicate, precarious systems in Magnolia Laurie’s paintings speak of endurance, survival, the activity of dwelling and “making-do.” Jon Bobby Benjamin’s new work, Going Home, re ects his physical exploration of the natural world. Benjamin creates sculptural amalgamations of familiar industrial materials and found maritime ob- jects. Consisting of buoys, docks, channel markers, and tide bells, Benjamin creates systems that are seemingly inaccessible and unreadable. These irrational arrangements distill a sense of timelessness, placeless-ness, and solitude. 

click here to download a copy of the press release

December 11, 2010 – January 15, 2011

Opening Reception:
Saturday, December 11
7–9 pm

Hamiltonian Artists:
Magnolia Laurie
Jon Bobby Benjamin

December 2011

December 2011

Selin Balci | Interact and Transform
Ryan Hoover | Sculpting with Satellites

Hamiltonian Gallery is pleased to announce two concurrent solo exhibitions by Hamiltonian Fellows, Selin Balci and Ryan Hoover.  Although Balci and Hoover implement distinct artistic practices, both artists present new works of precisely controlled media, imbued with their ruminations on the structures of interpersonal relationships, international affairs, and geography.

click here to download a copy of the press release

 

 

 

 

 

 

December 11, 2011- January 21, 2012

Opening Reception: 
Saturday, December 10
7-9pm

Hamiltonian Artists:
Selin Balci
Ryan Hoover

November 2011

November 2011

Elena Volkova | In Between

Hamiltonian Gallery is pleased to announce the In Between, a solo exhibition by Hamiltonian Fellow Elena Volkova . In her newest series, Volkova explores drawing as a process of perception by pushing the conceptual boundaries of the medium off of the paper, and into the realm of space itself. 

Elena Volkova presents a series of graphite drawings in which the subject matter is light. Seemingly fundamental, her drawings of folded paper and shadows on walls using a subtle value range are indicative of a systematic process-oriented approach to drawing, yet the result speaks more about the space around the actual drawn object. By bringing attention to the shadows and highlights that constitute an image, Volkova makes the viewer an active participant of the installation, where the act of looking, perceiving and comparing is emphasized. 

By denoting dynamic two-dimensional surfaces defined by light and shadow, Volkova has investigated the spatial limits of drawing. The geometric forms in her drawings present a flat plane shifting between representation and reality. 

Volkova explains, “In this body of work, I would like to bring the viewer’s attention to the discrepancy between art and reality. Employing the ideas of trompe-l’oil, I am interested in the threshold between the real and the false, and the moment at which the two become interchangeable.” 

Elena Volkova’s drawings implement the ordinary and commonplace, which instantly capacitates the viewer to move beyond the familiar neutrality of a piece of paper and delve into its potential. 

This exhibition will be on view from November 5th - December 3rd, 2011, with an opening reception on Saturday, November 5th, from 7-9 pm. 

Prior to the opening, we will host an artist talk with Elena Volkova from 6:00 - 7:00 pm on Saturday, November 6, 2011. Please join us!

 

click here to download a copy of the press release

November 5 - December 3, 2011

Opening Reception:
Saturday, November 5th
7-9 pm. 

Artist Talk:
Saturday, November 6
6 - 7 pm

Hamiltonian Artists:
Elena Volkova

 

 

September 2011

September 2011

Nora Howell + David Page

Hamiltonian Gallery is pleased to announce two concurrent solo exhibitions by artists David Page and Hamiltonian Fellow, Nora Howell. Through sculptural installation, video and photography, Howell and Page have created new work driven by both their observations of society and their own personal histories concerning issues of identity, power systems, fear and safety. Differing in artistic tone and subject, both artists delve into and explore the semiotics of identity infused in everyday exchanges.  

As a young, South African army recruit on the firing range, artist David Page was presented with a blatantly "non-white" stylized figure on a target. This vague ethnic depiction of a man strongly contrasted with Page's fellow white army conscripts, and the oppositional identity of the target became apparent to him. These depictions of men had transcended the function of mere targets, visualizing the social construct of race, and emphasizing recognition of the "the other".

David Page presents to us three sculptural installations comprised of hand-sewn leather, felt and canvas targets, tackle dummies and a life-sized yellow decoy duck.  Inside of the duck, a participant is padded, caged and fired at close-range with paint balls. Page's newest works address the identification of threats, the manipulation of empathy and the subsequent instinctual, irrational fears that our culture experiences today.

The effects of racism on our daily lives are typically unspoken but when considered, our embedded psychological positions are oftentimes rationalized. Hamiltonian Fellow Nora Howell believes that if we acknowledge the historical constructs of systemic racism, then its influence and power is weakened.   

Nora Howell presents us with a coffee bar in the gallery, where for one night only, viewers are invited to take part in a performance-installation where their skin color is evaluated and equated to mundane coffee drinks. Howell provides us prompt questions to enter into a public conversation where we consciously recognize how we perceive ourselves through skin color.

To Howell, we can only see white when contrasted with black. In a series of photographs Nora Howell depicts stacks of Oreo cream centers muddled and flecked indicating the absence of the other half. Nora Howell's frequent use of everyday food employs humor as a way to disarm us into participating in a dialogue about the difficult issues of race and identity.  

There will be one-night-only performances by both David Page and Nora Howell at the opening reception on Saturday, September 17th. Please join us for an artist talk on Wednesday, October 12th, at 7:00pm, with Howell and Page.

 

click here to download a copy of the press release

September 17 -October 29, 2011

Opening Reception:
Saturday, September 17
7-9 pm

One-Night-Only
Performances:
Saturday, September 17
7-9pm

Hamiltonian Artists:
Nora Howell

Guests Artists:
David Page

August 2011

August 2011

NEW.NOW.

As we conclude our third year of outstanding artist-centric programming, Hamiltonian Artists has named five new, distinguished Hamiltonian Fellows for 2011 to join our five existing Fellows.  We are thrilled to introduce:
·      Nora Howell (MFA,  Maryland Institute College of Art)
·      Sarah Knobel (MFA, University of Cincinatti)
·      Matthew Mann (MFA, American University)
·      Jenny Mullins (MFA, Maryland Institute College of Art)
·      Joshua Wade Smith (MFA, Maryland Institute College of Art, Mt. Royal School of Art)
 

The five new 2011 So-Hamiltonian Fellows were selected from a pool of over 150 very promising artists who applied this year.  The External Review Panel, comprised of six incredibly acclaimed art professionals, caucused together and evaluated every application based on criteria regarding artistic merit and relevance to today's art world, and were asked to gauge how well the potential fellow would thrive within the fellowship program.  We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the panelists for their generosity and enthusiastic support of this endeavor:

Ian MacLean Davis -Visual Artist, Hamiltonian Artists Alumnus
Tim Doud -Visual Artist, Co-director of MFA Program, American University
Beatrice Gralton - Curator, Corcoran Gallery of Art
Carol Huh - Curator of Contemporary Asian Art, Free Gallery of Art and Arthur M.Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Fletcher Mackey - Visual Artist, Professor, MICA
Kate MacDonnell - Photographer, Civilian Art Projec

 

click here to download a copy of the press release

August 13 - September 10, 2011

Opening Reception:
Saturday, August 13, 2011
7-9pm

June 2011

June 2011

Fellows Converge | Broadly Thinking

The question isn’t “How are we influenced by other artists?’” but rather, “How might considering another artist’s creative process be a way to reexamine and refine our own practice?”

In developing the exhibition Broadly Thinking with this group of ten Hamiltonian Fellows, I was interested in considering the networks that can support our practice as artists outside the comfort zone of art school. When there is so much pressure placed on originality, how can we cultivate an environment that encourages emerging artists to critically engage with their peers?

From gathering information during many meetings and studio visits, I created associations and loose groupings between the Fellows, which then evolved into a circuit of ten artists.  I asked each Fellow to consider the creative process of the artist on either side of their position within the circuit, and at times, to examine the practice of a third artist in the circuit.  Inviting each Fellow to investigate the work of two, sometimes three, other Fellows was not about urging superficial connections in style, nor the adoption of someone else’s medium. Instead, the exercise involved a process of self-assessment and comparative analysis that made it possible for the artists to appreciate each other’s struggles with materials and ideas, as well as to understand how resistance and acceptance affect the outcome of their own art-making.

At its core, becoming an artist is not just about establishing an aesthetic or conceptual identity. Art-making can as easily be a sublime practice as it can be a process fraught with angst. No matter what the creative experience, our art must survive, and hopefully thrive, in the world outside our studios. An open conversation about making art can help us think about the effectiveness of our efforts and push us to a new level. How do you embrace a symbol while deconstructing it? In what way could shifting the balance of materials make a real difference in the success of the work? What happens when my process eclipses my content? Taking time to pose such questions is a way to begin a potentially transformative dialogue.

In the end, each of us is responsible for how we engage with other cultural producers. An awareness of what informs and challenges the work of our peers can affirm and strengthen or test and alter our way of working in the most positive sense. Thinking collaboratively about art can give our practice a deeper resonance. Being mindful is not as much about whether or how we choose to work around or through obstacles. What counts is that we are intentional about the choices we make.

- Written by Zoë Charlton

 

click here to download a copy of the press release

June 25 – August 6, 2011

Opening Reception:
Saturday, June 25
7-9pm.

Panel Discussion:
Wednesday, July 13th
7 pm

May 2011

May 2011

Ryan Hoover + Jessica van Brakle + Lina Vargas De La Hoz

Hamiltonian Gallery is pleased to present concurrent exhibitions by three Hamiltonian Fellows, Ryan Hoover, Jessica van Brakle and Lina Vargas De La Hoz.  The shows will run from May 14th – June 18th, 2011.

Fusing Mid-Century modernist furniture with 1960’s mainframe computers, Ryan Hoover presents a showroom of large, physical objects that make tangible the networks to which he is tied.  Inside his sleek yet awkward furnishings, Hoover implements Arduino micro-controllers that process data pulled from his email accounts, social networking sites and geolocation sharing sites.  The data displayed on the sculpture is updated every few minutes based on Hoover’s activity within his networks.  Ryan Hoover is at once furniture designer and computer engineer, creating outmoded yet current appliances that offer information about him, and the many arteries to which he is associated.

Sourcing 19th Century German Master Landscape drawing, Jessica van Brakle presents a new series of paintings that contain elements of contemporary man-made construction equipment in lieu of natural elements.  This act of substitution questions the role of industrialized technology in the manufacturing of our contemporary landscape.  van Brakle’s use of draftsmanship and seemingly incomplete drawing pushes her work to a new realm.  The linear outlines of the landscape become an armature for ideas about essence and potential extinction.  Stripped down to a skeletal level, the construction cranes become symbols of power, growth, and the possible “paved paradise” of the twentieth century.

Lina Vargas De La Hoz’s latest work is a continuation of Umziehen Umzug, a series of sculptural installations and performances that show the transformation of clothes from objects to space.  Vargas De La Hoz presents “jacket-tents,” specifically constructed for teenagers and businessmen.  The “jacket-tents” utilize space as a medium to pose questions about the way individuals cope with their fraught surroundings.  In her latest work, Vargas De La Hoz is using the human body to address the politics of space, architecture and human relationships, and continues to explore the ambivalence of and oscillation between body and space. By using seemingly everyday objects to transform an individual’s physical presence within a space, Vargas creates experiences that are at once tactile and visual.  Performances of Lina Vargas De La Hoz’s new work will take place:

  • Saturday, May 14th, 7:30 & 8:30 pm
  • Tuesday, May 24th, 7:00 pm
  • Tuesday, May 31st, 6:45 & 8:00 pm
  • Saturday, June 18th, 5:00 pm

click here to download a copy of the press release

May 14th – June 18th, 2011

Opening Reception:
Saturday, May 14
7-9pm

Lina Vargas De La Hoz’s Performances:
Saturday, May 14th, 7:30 & 8:30 pm
Tuesday, May 24th, 7:00 pm
Tuesday, May 31st, 6:45 & 8:00 pm 
Saturday, June 18th, 5:00 pm

April 2011

April 2011

Call + Response | Textures

Call + Response, the art exhibition that pairs writers and artists, is returning to Hamiltonian Gallery for a second installment opening April 16, 2011. For this new show, named Call + Response: Textures, four writers and four visual artists have paired to create artworks that resonate with each other. 

Call + Response: Textures builds again on the theme of "call and response," a succession of two distinct phrases played by different musicians in which the second phrase comments on or responds to the first. In each pairing, the writer provides the "call" in the form of a new, intense piece of short fiction or poetry. The visual artist creates the "response" by creating an installation in the gallery. The result is paired works that resonate with each other, building a bridge between two distinct but fertile communities. Displayed together, the works benefit from their proximity and invite the viewer to observe and appreciate connections or disjunctions. 

The pairings (writer + artist): 

1. Stuart Dybek + TM Sisters

2. Naomi Ayala + Amanda Burnham

3. Reese Okyong Kwon + Maggie Michael

4. Srikanth Reddy + Jon Bobby Benjamin

Building on the success of last year's Call + Response, curators William John Bert and Kira Wisniewski have partnered again with Hamiltonian Gallery. They increased the palette size, giving writers a longer word count and inviting the artists to create large installations. "We are delighted to be working with Hamiltonian Gallery again and especially with this extremely talented roster of individuals," says Wisniewski. 

"The first show created so many lasting connections for the participants that we knew we had to do this again," says Bert. "Because we brought in a whole new set of writers and artists and gave them each more space in which to create, I can't wait to see how the results turn out." 

"Writers and visual artists draw inspiration for their works from the same things and implement similar artistic processes. The connection between the two art forms is innate and we are thrilled to be able to provide a platform for collaboration," says Hamiltonian Gallery Director Jacqueline Ionita.

 

click here to download a copy of the press release

Opening Reception:
Saturday, April 16
7-9pm

Hamiltonian Artists:
Jon Bobby Benjamin

March 2011

March 2011

Joyce Y-J Lee | At Last

Hamiltonian Gallery is pleased to present At Last, an exhibition of new works by Hamiltonian Fellow Joyce Y-J Lee.  In this latest series, Joyce Y-J Lee oscillates between mediums utilizing video, drawings and digital prints created during the time she recently spent in the Amargosa Desert in Nevada located on the edge of Death Valley. Living and working amongst the hauntingly beautiful landscape as well as the local residents of this small mining community, Lee has yet again produced introspective works that highlight the use of light as meaning.

By combining highly symbolic video composites with technically rendered pastel drawings, Joyce Y-J Lee creates “projection paintings” of pictorial spaces sourced from recognizable art historical paintings.  The video At Last, inspired by renditions of The Last Supper, portrays local residents of Beatty, Nevada, as Jesus and the twelve apostles dressed in contemporary garb, set in a slaughterhouse.  In the foreground sits a still life - a vanitas assemblage of a basin, skulls, bottles, and artifacts found in the harsh desert town.  At Last re-examines and re-contextualizes the historical and modern-day themes of sacrifice, sabotage, and the transience of life.  Accompanying the videos is a series of vanitas drawings that from one to the next slowly degrade into pixilated images that depict the break down of information, the brevity of life, and the certainty death.

 

click here to download a copy of the press release

 

 

March 12 – April 9, 2011

Opening Reception: 
Saturday, March 12th
7 – 9 pm

Artist Talk:
Thursday, March 17th
7 pm

Hamiltonian Artists:
Joyce Y-J Lee
 

January 2011

January 2011

Katherine Mann + Selin Bali | Bound

Hamiltonian Gallery is pleased to present Bound, an exhibition of new works by Hamiltonian Fellows Katherine Mann and Selin Balci. Whether in Balci’s laboratory approach or Mann’s painterly exploration, both artists create vivid abstractions, ripe with notions of growth, wonder and subjugation.  Within the context of aestheticism, both examine the limits of their medium, as well as notions of humanity within an expanded ecologic understanding of the living world.

Katherine Mann’s oversized, abstract works on paper consist of accumulations of sequins, paint and ink, which illustrate the potentiality of growth, as well as the peril of overabundance.  Mann creates carefully composed fields with articulated moments that are at once chaotic, organized, thriving and decaying.  Mann explains: “I think of my work as baroque abstract: a celebration of the abundance of connections and clashes that can be found in the disparate mess of matter in the world.” Mann elegantly builds her paintings with hoards of ambiguous forms recalling elements found in systems of nature as in the highly decorative, resulting in a menagerie of depth and color.

By utilizing traditional lab procedures, Selin Balci creates microenvironments by incorporating biological material as a new art media to explore the literal process of life. From sterile beginnings the growth of microbes demonstrate a turbulent arc of life within a largely imperceptible world.  Balci’s simple living organisms live and die within a network of biological exchanges highlighting a wide range of behaviors similar to the human equivalent of social exchanges.

 

click here to download a copy of the press release

January 22 - March 5, 2011

Opening Reception:
Saturday, January 22
7-9pm

Hamiltonian Artists:
Katherine Mann
Selin Bali