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Press Release Checklist ¸INTO THE WOODS” a summer group exhibition on the theme of fairy tales, myths and fantasy in contemporary art June 28- August 16, 2002 Summer hours after July 3rd are Tuesday-Friday, 10-6, and Monday by appointment Into the Woods will feature photographs, drawings, prints and two sculptural installations, as well as a selection of historical photographs all organized around the theme of fairy tales, myths, and fantasy. Some of the work suggests a strong narrative, often connected to specific stories such as Dare Wright¨s ¸Lonely Doll” black and white photographic book illustrations with Little Bear and Daddy Bear, or Amy Cutler¨s meticulously rendered drawings with frazzled peasants, and humanlike piggies. Other work in the show is more general- the vocabulary of myth and fairy tale is so familiar to us from our childhood exposure to books and Disney that mere suggestions of enchanted forests, gauzy ball gowns, or anthropomorphic animals conjure up associations of beloved books, movies and most importantly, the possibility of magic and transformation in our lives. Transformation, camouflage, private ritual and imaginative freedom are all themes which emerge in the selection of works, and their ability to transport us to that magical place or trigger feelings of wonder, danger and possibility. Alyson Shotz¨s techno trees are suspended above a reflecting surface, awaiting the arrival of a satyr or nymph, and Beverly Semmes sets the stage for a midsummer frolic with a cloth spread on the forest floor concealing a figure below. Childhood is often a metaphor for the artist, a time of freedom and creativity when the division between reality and fantasy are blurred. Much contemporary art is deliberately ¸child-like” but that is not the intention in these works. Reference to magical stories suggests the possibility of returning to or reentering a state-of -mind. We are not asked to examine how the artist achieved their ends technically or even what theory underlies these objects, but to follow the breadcrumbs and full of wonder and sometimes fear- go into the woods. Additional artists included in the show are Joan Banach, Ellen Berkenblitt, Petah Coyne, Elliott Green, Arturo Herra, Todd Hido, Suzanne Kuhn, Didier Massard, Helen van Meene, Sarah Moon, Abelardo Morrell, Eileen Neff, John O¨Reilly, Ellen Phelan, Orit Raff, Kiki Smith and Clara Williams as well as vintage photographs by Edward Weston, Imogen Cunningham, Clarence John Laughlin, Ralph Eugene Meatyard. We are pleased to announce our third solo exhibition of new work by Penelope Umbrico entitled Out of Place. A catalogue has been published in conjunction with the show with an essay by Sheryl Conkelton and the support of the New York Foundation for the Arts. Since Umbrico began publicly exhibiting in 1991, she has been known for her colorful abstract photographs. In her 1998 solo show entitled ¸From Catalogues” she created an enormous gridded installation of individual items being offered through mail order - from jewelry to dishes - blurred in the exposure to obscure the identity of the object. Umbrico has continued to work with catalogues, but now she has extracted from scenes of interiors the mirrors and views through partially open doors. The reflections and views are idealized in the catalogues and present a set of images which are intended to lure and seduce (with the exception of the least expensive catalogues which often present a hazy gray reflection, according to Umbrico.) Umbrico has observed how the mirrors contain the space behind you, yet you are omitted from the reflection, and are invisible. ¸They include you in the sceneŁYou become the object. None of the objects which appear reflected in the mirrors are being offered for sale- they are part of the seduction.” Umbrico has enlarged the mirrors and views to the size and shape they are described in the catalogues- and they are presented as objects. It is both a thing and a complete illusion, complete with enlarged ben day dots of cheaply reproduced material. The doorway views are tall and slim- like a Barnett Newman zip. They almost always present an idyllic suburban country landscape often with a small private space in the foreground. Umbrico is not unique in drawing our attention to the seductive strategies of advertising, but she manages to create amusing, beautiful and mysterious objects which at the same time critique the vacuous desires of consumers. Umbrico has had solo exhibitions at the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts and the International Center of Photography, and her work is included in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Images (top to bottom): Joan Banach, Alyson Shotz, Imogene Cunningham, Edward Weston, Eileen Neff, Elliott Green, Arturo Herrera, Hellen van Meene, Todd Hido, Didier Massard, Sarah Moon, John O'Reilly. ¸INTO THE WOODS” a summer group exhibition on the theme of fairy tales, myths and fantasy in contemporary art JUNE 28- AUGUST 16, 2002 1. Joan Banach Stage Fright, 1997 oil and gilding on wood 72 x 96” 2. Clara Williams Untitled (Waiting for Godot), 2002 engraved plastic 7 x 10” edition of 5 3. Alyson Shotz Still Life, 2001 rubber, casters, tubing, wood, steel, mirror, gravel variable dimensions 4. Kiki Smith Sleeping Witch, 2000 chromogenic print mounted on museum board 23 11/16 x 15 3/4” edition 3/3 5. Joan Banach Cicerone, 2000 oil on rives paper mounted on wood 18 x 14 1/2” 6. Joan Banach Casanova, 2000 oil on rives paper mounted on wood 18 x 14 1/2” 7. Ellen Phelan Sleeping Beauty, 1996 watercolor and gouache on paper 22 5/8 x 16 5/8” 8. Imogene Cunningham The Woman, x. 1910 vintage platinum print 9 1/2 x 6 7/8” 9. Edward Weston Maud Allan with Century Plant, 1916 warm toned gelatin silver print 6 3/4 x 4 3/4” 10. Eileen Neff Almost (November 21, 2000), 2001 pigmented epson print 57 x 42 1/4” edition 3/5 11. Orit Raff Untitled, 1995 chromogenic print 20 x 16” edition of 8 12. Alyson Shotz Figure in Landscape, 1997-2002 chromogenic print 20 x 16” edition 1/3 13. Elliott Green Out into the World, 1991 casein and mixed media on paper 11 x 14” 14. Arturo Herrera Untitled, 2002 gouache and printed paper collage 14 x 11” 15. Hellen van Meene Untitled, 1999 chromogenic print 15 x 15” edition 8/10 16. Todd Hido Untitled #2653, 2000 chromogenic print 14 x 11” edition of 18 17. Ralph Eugene Meatyard Untitled, 1959 vintage gelatin silver print 7 9/16 x 7 5/8” 18. Didier Massard Winter Tree, 2001 chromogenic print 20 x 16” edition of 15 19. Sarah Moon 18 Julliet, 1989 gelatin silver print 20 x 16” edition 2/20 20. Beverly Semmes Figure on Ground (front view), 1998 cibachrome print 38 x 51” edition 3/5 21. Susanne Kuhn Falkenstein, 2000 ink on paper 20 x 16” 22. Jeanne Lorenz Spankin the Frog watercolor 16 x 20” 23. John O¨Reilly Fern Garden, 1-5-75 paper montage 11 1/2 x 8” 24. Ellen Berkenblitt Untitled, 2002 graphite and ink on paper 8 7/8 x 11 7/8” 25. Abelardo Morell The Chesire Cat, 1998 From Alice¨s Adventures in Wonderland gelatin silver print 24 x 20” edition of 30 26. Kiki Smith Untitled (Red Riding Hood), 2001 Iris print 20 x 22” edition 15/18 27. Simen Johan Untitled, 2000 chromogenic print edition 3/8 28. Carolyn Monastra Congregation, 2001 chromogenic print 30 x 38” 29. Clarence John Laughlin Figure with a Magic Light in her Forehead, 1941 vintage gelatin silver print 14 x 10 1/2” 30. Dare Wright Untitled, c. 1960 torn gelatin silver print mounted on photographic paper 10 x 8 1/4” 31. Anonymous Untitled, c. 1900 vintage gelatin silver print 4 1/2 x 6 1/2” 32. Frances Griffiths Iris and the Gnome, 1917 vintage gelatin silver print 5 7/8 x 4 1/8” 33. K.K. Kozik Magic Castle, 2001 oil on canvas 46 x 37” 34. Amy Vogel Untitled, 2000 14 x 10 3/4 Untitled, 2000 17 x 12” watercolor and ink on paper 35. Rachel Dayson Holiday Girl, 2001 watercolor on paper 14 x 10 3/8 36. Rachel Dayson Accident, 2001 watercolor on paper 14 x 10 3/8 37. Amy Wilson Bloodlines of the Illumination, 2001 watercolor on paper 18 x 24” 38. Hillary Harkness Le Noeud de chaise de pompier, 2001 graphite on paper 16 x 20” 39. Steve Gianakos The Pursuit of Pleasure Produced a Brisk Income, 1999 collage 15 1/2 x 15 1/2” 40. Amy Cutler Eva, 2001 graphite on paper 15 x 11” 41. Anonymous Actress from Midsummer Night¨s Dream, c. 1858 albumen print from glass plate negative 42. Circle of Ronald Leslie Melville (1835-1906) and Julia Margaret Cameron The Kiss, c. 1860¨s albumen print with garland drawing albumen print from glass plate negative 43. Henry Peach Robinson Two women in the woods, c. 1880¨s 7 x 8 3/4” 44. Petah Coyne Untitled (#1026P-00), 2001 gelatin silver print 11 x 14” edition 1/7 45. Anonymous Peter Pan and Captain Hook, 1971 The Rooster and the Devil, 1971 Bowing to the King of Fairyland, 1971 The Imperial Ball, 1971 Cinderella¨s Honeymoon, 1971 Little Red Riding Hood, 1971 from a series of 46 original a gift from an admirer to Richard Burton and Elizabeth Tayor 46. Clara Williams Patience, 2002 pencil drawing variable dimensions top For additional information contact the gallery back |
  
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