Opening reception: Sunday, Oct. 26, 4 - 6 p.m.
There’s No Place Like Utopia
Curator: Matt Freedman
Artists: Kim Brandt and Walsh Hansen . Rob de Mar . Ben Finer . Janet Henry . Eleanor Himmelfarb . Gerald Jones . red quickness . Adam Simon . Jude Tallichet . Letha Wilson
The artists in this exhibition have created a wide variety of works that celebrate the elusive and uncanny appeal of the perfect world in our collective imaginations. Ranging in age from twenty-five to ninety-seven, and with backgrounds that reach from the very center of the established New York art world to its furthest reaches and beyond, the diversity of artists chosen reflect curator Matt Freedman's conviction that utopian dreams, and disappointments attendant to them, are not necessarily well served by the ironic vernacular that is today's esthetic paradigm. In the end, we hope that the show itself; its artists, its art, its visitors, and its commitment to its local community locates utopia, if only for a moment, in a very real and findable part of Brooklyn, New York: 558 St. Johns Place
Jude Tallichet has created a small, remote moment of perfection within the gallery, accessible only by extraordinary effort: Kim Brandt and Walsh Hansen collaborate on a series of works that compile a record of their imagined future life together; Adam Simon has created a truly democratic space within the exhibition that literally opens the gallery space itself to the public's control. Letha Wilson's installation recycles construction detritus as an elegant and enchanting fountain. The painter Gerald Jones' paintings of stylized animals painted in vibrant colors are funny, quirky and visionary. Red Quickness' intricate drawings on wood depict a history of African peoples on this continent, from enslavement, to emancipation, the civil rights movement and beyond. Ben Finer's video installation follows a fascinating encounter on 125th St between the artist, reading Dr. King's “I have a Dream” speech, and young man from the neighborhood. Rob de Mar will contribute a series of suspended idyllic landscapes. Janet Henry utilizes Lego blocks to create a vast model of New York City, reminiscent of the one we know, but undeniably better. Eleanor Himmelfarb, in her 7th decade as a professional artist, contributes a complex and intense painting
Also on view during the opening reception will be "No Place," a compilation of international video, documentary, and animation about utopia and other places that may or may not exist. This screening is a joint venture between FiveMyles gallery, curator Greg Pond, Nashville's Fugitive Projects and the Irish group Human Resources, headed by Emma Houlihan, an artist and curator from Dublin.
This exhibition is supported in part by the Andy Warhol Foundation, The Greenwall Foundation, and The Jerome Foundation.