Category Archives: Installation

Edgeless

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The Edgeless Divide by Sun Young Kang

The Edgeless Divide by Sun Young Kang, Susquehanna Art Museum, Harrisburg, PA.

“Nearly every facet of life that we understand is dependent on our visual perception of the world, predisposing us to only see the “present.” But it is not difficult to perceive that our world is composed of two antithetical ideas: presence and absence, life and death. These ideas can be understood in the Buddhist philosophy of “Emptiness”—every existence, every single moment that has ever existed, can only be conceived as either past or future. The abstract nature of this concept is often difficult to grasp, but my work is an attempt to secularize this fundamental idea. 

Negative space in various structures of books or installations is the essential part of my work. The empty space suggests to readers or viewers a meditative moment. In this moment, the negative space provides an opportunity to reflect on one’s self and the meaning of Emptiness in our lives. I cut out pages, burn out texts, hang prints in space or cast various containers to create a physical and metaphorical Emptiness. The important parts of the structures are absent. The absence becomes a presence in the visual objects. 

Most recently I have created installations consisting of many tiny tubes that question the boundary of all antithetical ideas. Boundaries can be physical and visual, but also language, religion, culture, politics, indeed all human relationships and social creations involve boundaries. Whether a boundary is physical or not, it does not just divide one entity from another, it implies another side or space or existence. Light and shadow and the delicacy yet strength of thin paper are metaphors for the inseparability of life and death. They are also installation devices creating two conceptual spaces.

Through the irony of my working process, which is visualizing non-visuals, I try to question this non-describable concept—the continual parallels of presence and absence, their inseparability. I also would like the audience to think about the meaning of absence in their lives as part of nature, through their own interpretation of “Emptiness.”

– Sun Young Kang, sunyoungkang.com

The Edgeless Divide by Sun Young Kang, Susquehanna Art Museum, Harrisburg, PA.

HOURS & ADMISSION: Monday, closed, Tuesday through Saturday 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Sunday 12:00 – 5:00 PM

Adult Admission: $8, Military, Seniors (65+), & Educator Discount: $5, Children under 12: FREE

1401 North 3RD Street, Harrisburg, PA 17102, (717) 233-8668

Thanks to Sun Young Kang for the content of this post.

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Panorama

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Panorama: Image-Based Art in the 21st Century, Main Line Art CenterDavid and Goliath © Marjan Moghaddam 2012

Main Line Art Center Unveils Panorama: Image-Based Art in the 21st Century
Two-month extravaganza features 15+ programs across greater-Philadelphia, free evening festival, and virtual exhibition opportunities.
September 12 – November 4, 2015

HAVERFORD, PA (July 29, 2015) — Fresh off the heels of Main Line Art Center’s new digital media program and building and campus expansion, the Center, located in Haverford, announces the unveiling of the first annual Panorama: Image-Based Art in the 21st Century.  The two-month happening runs September 12 through November 4, 2015 and is a celebration of the photographic image and its expansive role in contemporary artforms like digital photography, printmaking, video, film, animation, and gaming design.  Panorama is supported by Wilkie Lexus and Main Line Today (as of July 28, 2015).

Anchored by the on-site exhibition Modern Utopias and a dynamic and interactive evening festival at Main Line Art Center, Panorama features physical and virtual exhibitions, lectures, portfolio reviews, and educational programs held at Main Line Art Center led by accomplished artists who utilize digital technology to deliver the unexpected.  In addition to the programs occurring on the Art Center’s campus, Panorama includes image-based programs produced by Creative Partners, arts and culture organizations spanning from Philadelphia to Lehigh County.  As of July 28, 2015, Creative Partners include ArtsQuest, the Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts, Gravy Studio & Gallery, inliquid.com, James Oliver Gallery, Pentimenti Gallery, Philadelphia’s Art in City Hall, Philadelphia Photo Arts Center, The Print Center, and Silicon Gallery Fine Art Prints.  For a list of Creative Partner programs, visit www.mainlineart.org.

The focal point of Panorama is Modern Utopias, the featured exhibition on view in Main Line Art Center’s galleries September 12 through November 4.  Curated by Main Line Art Center Executive Director Amie Potsic, Modern Utopias presents compelling visions of modern existence, human potential, and virtual realities through works by Marjan Moghadden (New York, NY), Noah Addis (Columbus, OH), and Nicole Patrice Dul (Philadelphia, PA).  The Art Center will host an Artist Talk & Opening Reception on Friday, September 18 from 5:30 to 8:30 pm, and Artist Nicole Patrice Dul will present a two-day workshop on her process, Solarplate Etching, on Tuesday, September 29 and October 6 from 6:30 to 9:30 pm.

Beginning September 12, anyone, regardless of age or experience, can contribute to the Panorama virtual exhibition, which will be available on Main Line Art Center’s newly redesigned website in December.  Community members are encouraged to visit Community Partners, which include gardens, parks and green spaces in the greater-Philadelphia area, or other locations to document what utopia means to them, and then upload their digital photograph or video to www.mainlineart.org.

Finally, virtual and hands-on collide at Main Line Art Center on Saturday, October 24 from 5 to 9 pm for the high-energy Panorama Festival featuring music and entertainment, food trucks, live art experiences, innovative art-making, digital demos, and more.  Artist Tim Portlock will light up the night with a presentation of site-specific work, kicking-off the Center’s new Digital Artist in Residency Program.

Main Line Art Center is the community’s home to discover, create, and experience visual art.  A frequent recipient of Best of Awards for its beautiful galleries and high-quality art instruction, the Center’s visual art classes and contemporary and innovative exhibitions stimulate creativity, conversation, and joy. The mission of the Art Center is to inspire and engage artistic creativity for all ages and abilities and celebrate and strengthen the essential role of visual art in community life.  Last year 16,000 people found inspiration at Main Line Art Center, including artists with disabilities in the Center’s Accessible Art Programs, now in their 51st year, and 80,000 others were touched through the Center’s programs in the community.

Main Line Art Center is located at 746 Panmure Road in Haverford, behind the Wilkie Lexus dealership just off of Lancaster Avenue. The Art Center is easily accessible from public transportation and offers abundant free parking. For more information about Panorama including a list of all programs, please visit www.mainlineart.org or call 610.525.0272.

Thank you to Rachel Ammon, Communications Director of Main Line Art Center for the content of this post.

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A Moment

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moment3 Arnold Newman, New York City, 1979, platinum print

Michael Somoroff: A Moment.

Master Photographers, Sol Mednick Gallery of Photography, UArts

Michael Somoroff: A Moment, Sol Mednick Gallery of Photography Michael Somoroff: A Moment, Sol Mednick Gallery of Photography, The University of the Arts

Written and photographed  by Laura Storck

As a photography student at The University of the Arts, I make every effort to take advantage of the wonderful rotating exhibits on display Sol Mednick Gallery of Photography on the 15th floor. I was especially motivated to see the current exhibit by ‘Michael Somoroff: A Moment. Master Photographers‘ which includes several gorgeous platinum prints of well-known luminaries such as Elliott Erwitt, Mary Ellen Mark, Frances McLaughlin-Gill, Ben Somoroff, Ben Stern, and Arnold Newman.

moment2Michael Somoroff: A Moment, Sol Mednick Gallery of Photography, The University of the Arts

According to The University of the Arts May 2015 news release of this exhibit:

Between 1977 and 1983, Michael Somoroff, then a young New York photographer, had the privilege of photographing photographers who played a dominant role in shaping the medium during the climax of analog image making, including Robert Doisneau, Elliott Erwitt, Ralph Gibson, Jacques Henri Lartigue, Duane Michals and Helmut Newton, among others. He was first introduced to many of these icons through his father, Ben Somoroff, who studied under Alexey Brodovitch at the School of Industrial Arts in Philadelphia, now The University of the Arts, and had become a well-known and respected still life photographer working in both Philadelphia and New York. These portraits were originally created as a kind of visual journal, a tribute to the modern masters of the medium by a young photographer. Intensely personal, the images were never intended for publication and were put aside for many years. Thirty-five years later, this body of work is finally being shown and published.

moment4Ben Somoroff, New York City, 1977, platinum print

Michael Somoroff studied art and photography at the New School for Social Research in New York, opening his own studio in the mid-seventies, eventually moving for a time to Europe. In Europe, he contributed to such publications as Life, Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Stern, Time, and Der Spiegel. His work is represented in collections including the Museum of Modern Art, New York; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.; and Museo Correr, Venice; it has been exhibited at the International Center of Photography, New York; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; and Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago. In 2006, Somoroff created a large-scale outdoor installation, “Illumination I” for the Rothko Chapel in Houston, as the first artist invited to do so since Barnett Newman. Somoroff’s homage to legendary photographer August Sander, “Absence of Subject,” was presented during the 2011 Venice Biennale, the only private exhibit in the artistic history of the city to be placed on Piazza San Marco. Since 2011, “Absence of Subject” has traveled continuously throughout Europe and soon in South America. In 2012, “A Moment. Master Photographers: Portraits” by Michael Somoroff was awarded Best Photo Books of the Year prize chosen by American Photo.

moment9Michael Somoroff: A Moment, Sol Mednick Gallery of Photography, The University of the Arts

Upon viewing the beautiful platinum printed image of each master photographer, I felt inspiration, connection, and catharsis. The platinum print process is prized for its rich, long tonal range that includes lush blacks as well as delicate gray mid-tones and for its ability to show fine detail. Somoroff rendered his subject’s essence with the utmost expertise and transcendence. To pay personal homage to the images of these icons felt akin to a spiritual journey in a sacred space.

moment8Mary Ellen Mark, New York City, 2011, platinum print, Michael Somoroff: A Moment, Sol Mednick Gallery of Photography, The University of the Artsmoment5Ben Stern, New York City, 1979, platinum print Michael Somoroff: A Moment, Sol Mednick Gallery of Photography, The University of the Arts

I felt especially moved when seeing Mary Ellen Mark’s portrait, and particularly saddened by her recent passing. I remember first learning about her work when visiting the Philadelphia Museum of Art in September 2012 for her exhibition Prom: Photographs by Mary Ellen Mark. This exhibit occurred in conjunction with her husband’s work, cinematographer Martin Bell’s film Prom (2010), and I was very fortunate to witness a roundtable discussion among Mary Ellen Mark, Martin Bell, and the curator of photographs of the PMA, Peter Barberie. Mary Ellen Mark’s photography has been a major influence on my desire to capture documentary and street images, which has therefore inspired and helped me to feel more empathy, compassion, and responsiveness toward the human condition.

moment6Elliott Erwitt, Easthampton, NY, 1979, platinum print, Michael Somoroff: A Moment, Sol Mednick Gallery of Photography, The University of the Arts

This experience forces me to ponder where my photographic path may lead…Will my portrait ever adorn a gallery wall? All I can offer with certainty is that I appreciate every little struggle and triumph along life’s serpentine journey; I cherish and find value in the many relationships I have formed; and I strive to keep going with continued optimism. Peach and love to all.

moment7Frances McLaughlin-Gill, New York City, 1978, platinum print, Michael Somoroff: A Moment, Sol Mednick Gallery of Photography, The University of the Arts

Now in it’s 37th year, the Sol Mednick Gallery of Photography offers a year-round regular schedule of exhibitions of contemporary photography. The only endowed gallery in Philadelphia dedicated solely to the exhibition of photography, the Mednick Gallery earned the Photo Review Award for service to photography. Associate Professor and former director of the Photography program Harris Fogel, who founded Gallery 1401 in 1999, has been director/curator of both galleries since 1997. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 10:00am – 5:00pm., Saturday and Sunday by appointment. The exhibit is on display through July 31st.

The University of the Arts, The Sol Mednick Gallery of Photography, Terra Hall, 15th Floor 211 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102 (215) 717-6300

Event page – http://www.uarts.edu/about/sol-mednick-gallery

website – www.uarts.edu

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Written and photographed  by Laura Storck except where noted

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Inside Out

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public24Dog Barking at the Moon (1926) by Joan Miro, photographed by Laura Storck

Inside Out, Philadelphia Museum of Art,

Museum Masterpieces in Your Community

Written and photographed by Laura Storck

I spy art in unexpected places! That’s right — high-quality reproductions of famous art works have popped up in local communities as a part of the Inside Out program, a project sponsored by the Philadelphia Museum of Art through a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. In this program, the museum is sharing 61 framed replicas from its collection around the region.  Brilliant!

public22Two Calla Lilies on Pink (1928), Georgia O’Keeffe, photographed by Laura Storck

What a great way to bring fine art outside of the confines of the gallery walls to the public realm. I felt absolutely ecstatic when I learned that 11 works would be sprinkled throughout my own backyard in Haddonfield, NJ. Not only does this allow for the convenience and easy accessibility to enjoy these works nearby, but I can savor them en plein air; I absolutely adore the organic context.public21The Libraries Are Appreciated (1943) by Jacob Lawrence, photographed by Laura Storck

Since I spend the majority of my free time in Philly, this outdoor exhibit also allows me to rediscover, reconnect, and to appreciate this beautiful neighborhood and all it has to offer.

public20The Kiss (1916) by Constanin Brancusi, photographed by Laura Storck

I was able to locate and photograph the pieces in under an hour (by the way, I DO love a good scavenger hunt!). These alluring works are very carefully placed, and complement each spot very well. The art at each location conveyed a cosmic romanticism and palpable energy that forcefully pulled me in.

public18Tanis (1915) by Daniel Garber, photographed by Laura Storckpublic16Portrait of a Roman Lady (La Nanna, 1859) by Sir Frederic Leighton, photographed by Laura Storckpublic15Poplars on the Bank of the Epte River (1891) by Claude Monet, photographed by Laura Storck

Here is the list of all 11 replica art works that are currently on view at various locations in Haddonfield:

  • Rondel Depicting Holofernes’s Army Crossing the Euphrates River (1246-48), from France
  • Mont Sainte-Victoire (1902-4), by Paul Cezanne
  • The Libraries Are Appreciated (1943), by Jacob Lawrence
  • Dog Barking at the Moon (1926), by Joan Miro
  • Marine (about 1652-53), by Simon Jacobsz de Vlieger
  • Tanis (1915), by Daniel Garber
  • Two Calla Lilies on Pink (1928), by Georgia O’Keeffe
  • Portrait of a Roman Lady (La Nanna) (1859), by Sir Frederic Leighton
  • Pichincha (1867), by Frederic Edwin Church
  • The Kiss (1916), by Constantin Brancusi
  • Poplars on the Bank of the Epte River (1891), by Claude Monet

I was thrilled to see a photograph one of my favorite masterpieces of all time, Brancusi’s The Kiss, included in this outdoor exhibit. This piece is so simple yet it conveys such emotion, tenderness, and gentle eroticism that runs deep to the core. Personally, I am always swept away and overcome with emotion when this amazing sculpture finds my gaze.

public13Pichincha (1867) by Frederic Edwin Church, photographed by Laura Storck

public12Mont Sainte-Victoire (1902-4) by Paul Cezanne, photographed by Laura StorckInside Out, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Laura StorckMarine (1652-3) by Simon Jacobsz de Vlieger, photographed by Laura Storck

Inside Out is being unveiled in two cycles between Summer and Autumn 2015. From mid-May until August, you may find art works in the following communities:

  • Haddonfield, Camden County, NJ
  • Chestnut Hill and Mount Airy, Philadelphia, PA   
  • East Passyunk, Philadelphia, PA  
  • Media, Delaware County, PA
  • Newtown, Bucks County, PA

From mid-August through November, you may stroll through these neighborhoods to find the next wave of pop-up collections:

  • Fishtown, and Kensington, Philadelphia, PA
  • Ambler, Montgomery County, PA
  • Norristown, Montgomery County, PA
  • Wayne, Delaware County, PA
  • West Chester, Chester County, PA

This project does an amazing job of reaching out to make this fine art accessible to communities that are relatively geographically distant from the museum.  I sincerely look forward to checking out the rest of the outdoor exhibits!

Go to www.philamuseum.org/insideout for maps and detailed information.

Included in this article are photographs of all but one of the Haddonfield art replicas on display. I’ll leave the challenge up to you to find it!

“Inside Out, May 15, 2015 – Mid-November 2015

Encounter high-quality replicas of artworks from the Museum’s collection in your neighborhood. The Philadelphia Museum of Art is sharing its art. This summer and fall, sixty high-quality replicas of Museum masterpieces will find their way into communities around the region. Each participating neighborhood will feature about ten artworks within a short distance of each other. Walk through the park, hop on a bike, or meander down Main Street through each exciting outdoor exhibition.Join your family and friends and encounter art in unexpected places. Picnic next to Claude Monet’s iconicJapanese Footbridge, stop to smell the flowers near Georgia O’Keeffe’s Calla Lilies, or shine a flashlight on Paul Gauguin’s Sacred Mountain during a midnight stroll. Never been to the Museum? Inside Out brings treasures from its collection to you. Pick a neighborhood, grab your friends and family, and explore.” – Philadelphia Museum of Art, Inside Out

Written and photographed  by Laura Storck except where noted

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Stoopid

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Stoopid-Naturall Spring Pop Up Art Show at Jed Williams Gallery

JOMBI SUPASTAR

Stoopid-Naturall Spring Pop Up Art Show at Jed Williams Gallery, June 5 – 7

This funky audio-visual spring celebration will feature mixed media 2D paintings and new never seen before work including collaborative live multimedia by Juan Dimida, JOMBI SUPASTAR and James Tafel Shuster. Fresh off a recent show at Bahdeebahdu in Northern Liberties these artists celebrate their joint talents in this fun display of experimental audio visuals.

Studio visits with these awesome artists are available upon request. Please join us for opening night, June 5 from 7:00pm – 9:00pm. Jed Williams Gallery 615 Bainbridge St., Philadelphia PA 19147-2111

stoopid2

Juan Dimida

Jed Williams Gallery welcomes back Juan Dimida and JOMBI SUPASTAR and is pleased to show the work of James Tafel Shuster for the first time. Jombi first exhibited his mixed media paintings, collages/works on paper in “Jombi Supastar-candy flippin’ ‘”, November 1st – December 20th 2014; and Juan Dimida was one the first artists to show at Jed Williams Gallery in 2011.

stoopid3James Tafel Shuster

James Tafel Shuster has shown throughout the Philadelphia area and currently produces new work in his Germantown studio.

According to James Tafel Shuster, “The human form and portrait, and especially the personality of any individual, have been main focuses and sources of inspiration in my work. A camera is capable of freezing a person’s image in place, but my paintings strive to allow the image to move and the personality to be the element that is frozen.”

JUAN DIMIDA www.flickr.com/photos/juandimida/

JAMES SHUSTER www.jamestafelshuster.com

JOMBI SUPASTAR www.flickr.com/photos/supastarartwork/sets/72157605817671779/

About Jed Williams Gallery: Recently named one of the top art galleries in Bella Vista and Queen Village by Philadelphia Magazine, Jed Williams Gallery is a unique art space owned and operated since 2010 by artist Jed Williams. Jed Williams Gallery showcases up-and-coming and inspiring artists from the Philadelphia area. Artists featured are from all backgrounds including classically trained as well as self-taught outsider artists. The gallery shows a variety of thoughtful, cutting edge high quality works ranging from 2D, mixed media and painting, to video, installation and sculpture.

Jed Williams Gallery

Thank you to Kimberly Neff Consulting for the content of this post.

kimberly@kimberlybneff.com

Read Laura Storck‘s review of JOMBI SUPASTAR‘s ‘candi flippin‘ on DoNArTNeWs

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