No-Miss Art Shows for January
Friday, January 13, 2012
This week marks the first full week of the Providence art community back in swing. Since the weather has been fairly cooperative, there is no reason to stay bundled up at home. New exhibitions have been installed for our viewing pleasure and there are plenty of receptions to attend and work to see. Here are two that are at the top of my list.
One Way Gallery & Owls to Athens Present: CONTROLLED CHAOS
An exciting opening starting at 6 pm on Saturday, January 14th at One Way Gallery is Owls to Athens’ Joe Skorupa’s latest curatorial endeavor. For those that missed his show at West Side Arts, this is another opportunity to see how this talented emerging curator works and collaborates. The theme behind this show, Controlled Chaos, is representative of the creative mind & process, as well as the aesthetic aspects of the artists’ work in the show. It also channels the changes that we have all felt when our lives shift and often seem insurmountable and chaotic at times, but still things always find a way of coming through to the other side. These moments of reflection often come with the change of a calendar year making this show perfectly timed.
Skorupa will be working with some of the artists that participated in the previous show, Independents. The work of Sam Kashuk will be worth noting as his work includes both ceramics and photography and while the different mediums do not relate directly, he still shows great talent in both. Ryan McEntee creates another exciting site-specific graffiti inspired installation, which remains a mystery even to the artist until the day of its creation. The fact that this exhibit is up for such a limited time makes McEntee’s work even more meaningful as it will disappear almost quickly as it was made, a true embodiment of the controversial world of street art and graffiti. There will also be some additions to the roster with the work of Keri Lyn King and Ariana Moryl. Their graphic styles complement the other artists of the show who focus strongly on color. This exhibit is a testament to Skorupa’s ability to collaborate and still be refreshingly innovative. Be sure to catch this show before it closes January 17th. One Way Gallery, 231 Westminster Ave, Providence.
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If you have spotted people wearing the “I Buy Art” pins or noticed shops with the corresponding sign on their door, you have discovered a campaign started by Providence’s Department of Art, Culture, and Tourism. Each year artists apply to have their artwork printed at the background of the pins and posters. A small group of artists are selected toward the end of the year. For the second time since the beginning of the project, a group of women have been chosen as the artists for the 2011 class: Mara O’Day, Casey Spencer, Angel Dean, Stephanie Alvarez-Ewens, and Delia Kovac.
Despite the assumption that the exhibition at City Hall would feature the just the work of these five artists, it is actually a show of ten different artist from the various years of the I Buy Art campaign. Each artist’s year of a participation is noted on an index card displayed below each work of art. Though there are several strong pieces in the exhibit, the work by Casey Spencer is a stand out. Her piece, “Curbside Mattress” is a perfect mesh of antique and contemporary.
The photograph by Stephanie Alvarez-Ewans in the show is contemporary take on an age old theme in Rhode Island, the beach. Unlike other artists who feature babies in bathing suit playing in the sand, this image is haunting and mysterious, but still captures the hesitation of waiting for the perfect wave. Another fun piece in the exhibit is the popular print by Arley-Rose Torsone which features the phrase, “It’s going to be O.K.”
Many of the artists in the show like Andrew Moon Bain, Delia Kovac, and Jungil Hong are becoming popular names around the city as they show at many of the same galleries in and around Providence. Their participation in the the “I Buy Art” initiative is another example of their success in this art-loving city. This exhibition will be up until February 10. Gallery at City Hall, Second Floor, Providence.
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