Rex Ray, Alecetoria, 2009, oil, acrylic & mixed media collge on linen, 76x65"

Heyd Fontenot, Wendy & Manny, Dave & Ellen, with Three Others, 2009, oil on panel, 48x48"

Alejandro Diaz, Happiness, 2008, neon, size variable, editon 5

Conduit Gallery

http://www.conduitgallery.com

(214) 939-0064

1626 C Hi Line

Dallas, TX 7520

“Museum Guards” by Paul Greenberg

I was greeted in the front gallery by Paul Greenberg’s “Museum Guards”, which was very simple and straight forward yet it still completely blew me away. I have a bit of an obsession for things that tend to go unnoticed…like the one four leaf clover in an expansive field (true story), complicated stitching on the inside of a coat pocket, or even the guards in a museum that lurk quietly behind the scenes careful to protect but not interrupt the art while it’s hanging there doing it’s thing. The brilliance of Greenberg’s photographs lie not only in his chosen subject matter (including the irony of a meseum gallery as an integral character in the actual artwork itself), but also in the the relationship that is happening between the guards and the artwork they are lingering near. Take a look for yourself…

picture from Conduit Gallery Website

A black curtain seperated the front and middle gallery spaces. On the other side…”Visions of an Insomniac” by Susan kae Grant.

“Visions of an Insomniac is an interdisciplinary exhibition of experimental works that explore the mysterious space between illusion and reality. The works will consist of large scale digital images juxtaposed with cast shadows and psycho-acoustic sound. A nonsensical environment will be created in the gallery that forges a relationship between visual and aural perception. The work will provide visitors entry into an imaginary world of whimsical creations that portray life on the lyrical and playful edge of balance and stability. Large-scale images, sound and projection will suggest a theatrical world that references the ridiculous, the tragic and the unexpected. The walls, floor and ceiling will be illuminated with experimental lighting techniques to create a sense of surprise and wonder.” – Conduit Gallery Website

Ridiculous? Definitely. Tragic? Without a doubt. Unexpected? For Sure! I’ve been meaning to do a blog post about art gallery curators as artists themselves, but it’s been difficult to approach the topic without injecting sickening quantities of personal taste and biased opinions into it so I’ve shied away from publishing anything of the sort prematurely. But…my hat definitely goes off to the conduit Gallery for the atmosphere and mood and experience that they were able to create through profoundly creative curation which only served to enhance art that was already phenomenal.

“Nesting” by Kate Rivers

I made my way towards the free wine…I mean the Project Room to view Kate Rivers’ “Nesting” and immediately fell in love with Kate’s nests! The most striking thing about the nests, which remind me of home, is that they were made of all types of paper materials but mostly maps and stamps and letters; things that remind me of travel. The nests and the symbolism that Rivers used in these pieces were (to be completely honest) just plain cool, and myself a young woman that moved away from home to go to college and and didn’t return to my hometown after graduating, these darn nests stirred up some sentimental emotions that really connected me to the pieces.

I give the Conduit Gallery official MySpace props (circa 2006):

2 Kudos