Frank Rodick
dal 6/9/2006 al 6/10/2006
Segnalato da
6/9/2006
Frank Rodick
Andrea Meislin Gallery, New York
In the artist's own words, the title of this exhibition refers to "a place of spectacle, a place of combat and/or entertainment, a place where we come together to watch other members of our species..."
Arena
Andrea Meislin Gallery is pleased to present Arena, the first New York solo
exhibition for Toronto artist Frank Rodick. The exhibition opens 7 September and
runs through 7 October 2006. A reception for the artist will be held Thursday, 7
September from 6-8 p.m.
Arena marks the third and most recent body of work by Frank Rodick. In the artist's
own words, the title of this exhibition refers to "a place of spectacle, a place of
combat and/or entertainment, a place where we come together to watch other members
of our species encounter each other in ways that perhaps take us simultaneously
outside of ourselves and deeper within." Each photograph within the series evokes a
wide spectrum of primeval human emotions, taking the viewer on "a journey into
primal territory." The imagery is often highly sexual, suggesting pleasure and
ecstasy, while concurrently evoking pain and death. These oppositions are also
present in the compositions of each work, which are at times deep and confining, and
ambiguous and distant, especially in the depiction of a typically intimate,
tangible, and inviting subject matter. The juxtaposition of these conflicting
sensations directly confronts and provokes the viewer.
Each work in Arena is a conventionally photographed "moment" taken from video
recordings. Using various techniques to manipulate the composition of each image,
and several processes in the darkroom to further adjust their appearance, Rodick
achieves an indeterminate, dark and gritty quality that characterizes the
superficial impression of these photographs. All of the images are hand printed and
toned by the artist, with each work becoming unique as a result of variations in
toning and materials used, such as filters.
A selection of photographs from Arena was chosen by Katherine Ware, Curator of
Photographs at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, for inclusion in the Discoveries of
the Meeting Place exhibition at FotoFest 2006. In her curatorial statement, Ms.
Ware writes "In this body of work, Rodick has boldly tackled with his camera a
subject both fleeting and inchoate, with haunting results."
Frank Rodick's work has been exhibited internationally, including solo exhibitions
in Asuncion, Paraguay; Buenos Aires, Argentina; and Toronto, Canada. His
photographs are in the permanent collections of major museums and private
collections including Museet for Fotokunst, Denmark and the Museum of Fine Arts,
Houston.
Thursday, 7 September from 6-8 p.m.
Andrea Meislin Gallery
526 W 26th St., Suite 214 - New York