Per Bilgren
David Brooks
Gabriel Martinez
Virginia Poundstone
Gilad Ratman
Chessia Kelley
The exhibition results from the Affirmation Arts Visual Arts and Curatorial Award. The participating artists take the tools and materials of their generation and flash them back upon the viewer, causing one to see in a new way. Curated by Chessia Kelley.
curated by Chessia Kelley
Affirmation Arts is pleased to present, in
collaboration with Columbia University School of the Arts, New Perspectives in
Contemporary Art curated by Chessia Kelley. The exhibition results from the
Affirmation Arts Visual Arts and Curatorial Award. For the award, recent graduate
students in Columbia's Modern Art and Curatorial Studies program were invited to
propose an exhibition of work by 2009 Columbia Visual Arts MFA graduates.
The selected exhibition, New Perspectives in Contemporary Art, focuses on artists
who have distinct perspectives. The artists take the tools and materials of their
generation and flash them back upon the viewer, causing one to see in a new way.
They continue to question how we look and what we are looking at, turning our gaze
in a fresh direction. Additionally, the work instigates the reexamination of one's
humanity. Featured artists include: Per Bilgren, David Brooks, Gabriel Martinez,
Virginia Poundstone, and Gilad Ratman.
Bilgren's color photographs provide a glimpse into the world of conventions. His
work reveals what is typically considered outsider personalities, at intimate
moments. Concrete with Eggs by Brooks changes our perspective to one that is more
long-term, conscious of our future effect on the environment. Martinez's chalkboard
wall uses the gallery architecture as a descriptive receptacle for his Lucky Day
project that occurred elsewhere in New York. His flower box sculptures also refer
to inside/outside gallery space transforming the dividing tool of the police barrier
into a cheerful pedestal for flowers. A site specific mobile by Poundstone proposes
new ways to look at the world we live in. Ratman's video experiments with new,
organic visual forms. The Boggyman presents the descent of the boggyman into a deep
pool of mud recalling primeval, and strangely sexual imagery that is eerily
familiar.
The Visual Arts Program at Columbia University School of the Arts is a vigorous,
interdisciplinary community where painters, printmakers, photographers, video
artists, installation artists and sculptors interact freely with each other and with
an internationally renowned faculty, including, among others, artists Gregory
Amenoff, Jon Kessler, Thomas Roma, Sarah Sze, Rirkrit Tiravanija, Tomas Vu-Daniel
and Kara Walker. For more information please visit arts.columbia.edu.
Opening Reception: Friday, June 19 6-8 pm
Affirmation Arts
523 West 37th Street - New York