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Our Perfect World:
an Artscape exhibition

Exhibition Dates: June 15 – July 24, 2004

Artists' Talk and Recception: Saturday, July 10, 2004

We are living in a time of uncertainty, when the future seems indiscernible and a new kind of world war has emerged. Yet, oddly for most, our daily lives remain undisturbed, despite startling reminders of this new era, such as threats of upcoming domestic attacks or the recent stream of news images depicting hooded, tethered Iraqi prisoners. While watching the evening news, one could easily confuse these newsflashes as documents extracted from 70s and 80s performance art rather than the emergence of a new reality. In the midst of this transitional moment in history, we seem to be hanging in an odd angle of repose, comfortably adjusting to new realities, in what we may have previously imagined was our perfect world. Meanwhile, artists continue to make their work, whether consciously or unconsciously responding to the nature of our time. With this in mind, audiences may reflect differently on a group of area artists exhibiting their work as part of MAP’s Artscape exhibition with a different sense of appreciation and comprehension.

Baltimore, MD – Curator and MAP’s Director of Programs, Lisa Lewenz has gathered a group of artists who submitted examples of their work to the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts for inclusion in this year’s ARTSCAPE 2004 exhibitions. The exhibition, Our Perfect World, offers a wide-ranging glimpse into contemporary art and artists that by virtue of their creation during this turbulent time, will urge audiences to reconsider and reframe the way they may ordinarily view aesthetic creations.

Our Perfect World includes diverse works of installation, video, painting, sculpture, photography and mixed media work by twenty area artists, including: Desmond Beach, Sasha Blanton, Dorothy Campbell, Tina Carroll and Joel Gaydos, Margot Curran, Lania D’Agostino, Symmes Gardner, Talia Greene, Soomin Ham, Fay Karfgin, Alex Kondner, Sungmi Lee, Sangram Majumdar, Matthew McConville, Jill Myers, Steve Pauley, Gina Pierleoni, Kathy Strauss and Ann Terhes. The exhibition will be open at Maryland Art Place from June 15 until July 24, 2004, as part of ARTSCAPE 2004. Many of the artists will participate in a gallery talk from 5-6pm on Saturday July 10th, with an opening reception taking place immediately afterwards until 7pm.

Lewenz chose to present art that doesn’t emulate identifiable styles, but rather, exudes a certain sense of sentiment, whether sincere or ironic, that traces a shared glimpse into artists’ identities, reveries, and approaches to life. In Lewenz’ words, “When viewing the work submitted from artists around the vicinity, one commonality began to emerge. Whether the artists were creating work that is more traditional or groundbreaking, there seemed to be a sense of calm, verging on the sense of a deep gaze towards the particular issues of our time. Imagine gazing directly at a bright light, such as the sun, and then looking away. What you’ll ‘see’ moments later is the clearly visible ghost of the sun, even though it is no longer within your vision.” In many ways, the artists in this exhibition made work that seems related, as if quietly addressing momentous cultural events in recent history, while (simultaneously) quietly stepping away and focusing on entirely different subject matter. The artists in "Our Perfect World" have created artworks of varying meaning and concern, while unintentionally drawing strong ties between one another in subtle and barely unrecognizable ways. Whether this may represent a trend in contemporary art production, or rather, be more of a chimera during a moment when we seek essential meaning of our time remains unclear. Regardless, the creative spirit and the artists’ force remains strong, visible in the diversity of the works on view in this exhibition.

THE ARTISTS:
Matthew McConville is known for lush and mysterious paintings of middle-aged men in what we may have imagined could be the Garden of Eden without women. He presents a place of luxury, beauty and comfort, while raising a sense of questioning: are these escapees to a distant and safe isle, or banished expatriates struggling to resettle within a new and unforgiving environment?  One is not sure, though McConville’s work, in presenting such pure environments, leaves us free to define their destiny.  In contrast, Sangram Majumdar’s work in Our Perfect World represents a narrative of individuals crowded into urban environments, perhaps inspired by experiences in Calcutta, India, his birthplace.  Majumdar’s paintings focus on tightly cropped images of people seated on busses or subway cars, cramped into tight confines, as if they must wait until it is time to unfold and regain their comfort and sense of self. His work is cerebral and theatrical, reflecting a sense of the genre of work created when WPA (Work Projects Administration) artists focused on everyday lives, using realism and iconography as essential tools. Meanwhile, Gina Pierleoni’s exuberant drawings are more than what they appear at the outset. Morphed figures of male and female seem to be contained within single bodies, exposing a sense of blurring between genders and personal identity.  Yet, her deft handling of mundane portraits expose her penetrating need to explore beyond the surface while luxuriating in delight of her medium, that gives Pierleoni’s work punch and vigor. Juxtaposed to Pierleoni’s bright and full spectrum of hue is Sasha Blanton’s compelling and messy esthetic of blurring monochromatic paint while depicting lone and grouped nude figures, locked into perpetual calm or chaotic moments.  His work is not unlike the drama of Symmes Gardner’s video work, focused on media culture and the reframing of Hollywood dramas with his own (banal?) image of nature, leaving the audience to discern the meaning found in a juxtaposition of nature and…human nature.

Most of the imagery favored by Our Perfect World artists is compelling, familiar and new. The team of Tina Carroll and Joel Gaydos present bio-genetically modified and damaged farm animals, leading us to question what humans are simultaneously creating and consuming, while Dorothy Campbell’s photographs depict obvious images representing objects in nature that somehow are easily confused as becoming (or having once been) human. Margot Curran traces a similar theme, providing anthropomorphic images of monkeys who might as well be portraits of our favorite uncle, revered child, FBI most-wanted figure, or nearly-forgotten childhood best friend. Meanwhile, Alex Kondner uses mirrors (though no smoke) and huge iconic baby aprons to reflect images of famed figures from popular culture or historic paintings to offer a moment for us to muse on ourselves, as if draped in the armor of the familiar in order to avoid a glimpse into what we have become. Lania D’Agostino seeks to tantalize nostalgic childhood memories while twisting a sense of dark and scary beauty, not unlike the contrasts within a candy cane, while Steve Pauley draws from real-life bathroom graffiti and street trash to depict what may otherwise remain nearly unseen. Meanwhile, Desmond Beach offers what at first appears to be a frozen homeless person asleep within the galleries, while Soomin Ham has created a compelling, echoing hive using Korean rice cakes and Talia Greene strategically froze lush portraits of bees, as if asking us to consider in what ways we are most similar. 

Finally, there is work that seems familiar in its direct and sweet qualities, yet may remain haunting. Fay Karfgin’s quasi folk-art portraits of women stray beyond the decorative stance we may imagine they first represent, while Kathy Strauss’ cross sections of what may lie beneath the earth on which we walk will serve to remind us that, regardless of our self-importance, essentially wherever we walk, we step on bones and remains of all that came before us.  Sungmi Lee’s installation melds light and dark, delicacy and strength that may tether and dominate; while Ann Terhes’ seemingly mythic paintings freeze uncertain moments in time between Greco-Roman mythology and contemporary life. Finally, the subtlety of Jill Myers’ simple, yet complex and elegant photographs of aging people remind us of our own future, should we escape mortality until the years of our old age. Each work is this exhibition addresses specific interests of the individual artists, while representing commonalities reminiscent of lifeboats slowly paddling away from one another, carrying their crucial and valued transport. 

“Our Perfect World will provide an important glimpse into a number of emerging and established artists within a single venue.  For many years, MAP has been an important venue for the many satellite exhibitions that are part of ARTSCAPE, Baltimore’s celebration of the visual, literary, and performing arts.  This year, ARTSCAPE takes place from Friday July 16 to Sunday July 18, with selected visual arts exhibitions continuing on view throughout the city during the summer.

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Maryland Art Place (MAP) is a non-profit center for contemporary art established in 1981 to: develop and maintain a dynamic environment for regional artists to exhibit their work, nurture and promote new ideas and new forms, and facilitate rewarding exchanges between artists and the public through educational leadership. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 11am to 5pm. There is no admission charge to enter the gallery.  For more details, contact MAP’s Director of Programs, Lisa Lewenz at 410.962.8565 or llewenz@mdartplace.org