In February of 2016 I was given the freedom to curate an exhibition by myself at Snyderman-Works Galleries. Normally I work together with the rest of the staff and owners to decide on artists and works, so this was a treat.
Although stressful at times, the process of searching for artists and determining what work would, in the end, make a comprehensive exhibition was very exciting. The absorption that I felt in the process of following blog links to artist sites was familiar, as it is the same fervor I feel when starting a new painting.
I ended up with 11 artists, some of whom I knew personally and some who I did not know at all. All of whom I greatly admired as artists!
Philippa Beardsley, Amanda Bush, Matt Colaizzo, Virginia Fleming, Julian Kreimer, SaraNoa Mark, Erin Murray, Matt R. Phillips, Giordanne Salley, Stuart Shils and Tiffany Tate.
Although stressful at times, the process of searching for artists and determining what work would, in the end, make a comprehensive exhibition was very exciting. The absorption that I felt in the process of following blog links to artist sites was familiar, as it is the same fervor I feel when starting a new painting.
I ended up with 11 artists, some of whom I knew personally and some who I did not know at all. All of whom I greatly admired as artists!
Philippa Beardsley, Amanda Bush, Matt Colaizzo, Virginia Fleming, Julian Kreimer, SaraNoa Mark, Erin Murray, Matt R. Phillips, Giordanne Salley, Stuart Shils and Tiffany Tate.
The following are my thoughts on the theme and ideas of the exhibition, written for the press release and website:
The space that we find most consistently present is that which we carry with us, serving as a buffer between ourselves and other spaces, people and objects. This bubble changes in size, shape, and texture depending on how we relate to what is around us.
Our perception of our surroundings depends on how we view ourselves and correspondingly, we alter the locations we occupy in a similar manner. Through their individual understanding of place, the artists in this exhibit have created introspective self-portraits by considering personally important locations, interpretations of their own place in an environment, and how the memory, cultural significance, or content of a space can change its meaning.
The title I gave to this exhibition, "Personal Space" has multiple meanings, and can be interpreted a number of ways. I dove deeply into my own personal head space while thinking about the relationships between these works, and then I was able to sit with them in the gallery for a month, and speak to people about what they excited in me.
We also hosted a panel discussion with two of the artists in the exhibition, which I will expand on in another post.
See more at http://www.snyderman-works.com/exhibitions/personal-space
A review of the exhibition by Gordon Stillman here: http://www.title-magazine.com/2016/02/personal-space/