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

North Park by Inki Min

Using diluted inks and paints, INKI MIN creates Pollock-esque oblong paintings of swirling abstraction.  The mist from which our galaxy emerged.  In some, bears dressed in outfits from J. Crew appear out of the swirls.  In others, tree branches float to the surface like primordial dreams. INKI received her MFA from Boston’s Museum School.  Before that she studied art in Seoul, South Korea, where she was born and grew up. Her work has been shown at the Dallas Contemporary, at various venues in Boston (including the Rubin Frankel Gallery, Tufts University and the Museum School) and in South Korea.  

WILL JOHNSON, resident of an ancient granary in Kaufman, Texas and former preparator of the Meadows Museum of Art, transfigures found wood objects into brilliant and elusive Green sculptures.  His work is quirky and archetypal, and invariably includes a political message. WILL holds a BFA from the Meadows School of the Arts.  His work has appeared at Brookhaven College, Mountain View College (both of Dallas), the Dallas Contemporary and the Sally Sprout Gallery in Houston.  His sculpture “The Distance” was in the 2005 Art in the Metroplex juried show.

Shoot by Will Johnson

When:
May 22 -July 4th, 2009. 

Where:
The Dahlia Woods Gallery is located at 600 Cantegral Street, Dallas, TX 75204, just off Live Oak behind the Latino Cultural Center and cattycorner to The Dallas Center for Contemporary Art. 

Hours:
The hours for the Dahlia Woods Gallery are:  Thursday/Friday/Saturday, 11:00 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Tuesday/Wednesday by appointment. 

For more information please visit the Dahlia Woods Gallery website 

Jamie Pink creates glittering abstract images of glass mosaic, pierced by light and color. Born and raised in Texas, Jamie holds a BFA from the University of Texas at Austin. She has studied under renowned painter Bill Komodore and world-class mosaicists Sonia King, Emma Biggs, Ilana Shafir, Matteo Randi and others. Her work appeared in the 2008 New Texas Talent show at Craighead Green Gallery and most recently in a juried show at the Bathhouse Cultural Center.

Andrew Wick uses egg tempera to create haunting, moody multi-faceted figurative paintings of the American scene. His copperplate etchings vividly capture the Texas landscape. Andrew holds a BFA from the Meadows School of the Arts at Southern Methodist University and an MA from the University of North Texas. His work has been shown at various galleries in the Metroplex. When not painting Andrew teaches art both in Texas Public Schools and in SMU’s Community Education program.

Visit Wick’s Blog Here
Opening Reception:

Friday, April 17 6-8:30PM

AND

Saturday, April 18 11A-8PM

Location:

600 Cantegral Street, Dallas, TX 75204

Just off Live Oak behind the Latino Cultural Center and cattycorner to The Dallas Center for Contemporary Art.

“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

Artist Statement:

“FAHAMU PECOU IS THE SHIT” is a painting, video and performance series that parallels the marketing campaign and identity design strategy of hip-hop artists and the conceptual framework of mass media and consumer products conceived in pop art.

My recent body of paintings in this series, NEOPOP, explores the phenomenon of contemporary propaganda, the cultural context and significance of media and marketing and how they are both disconnected and relevant to fine art. This project was a response to the grassroots and often times, aggressive marketing campaigns that surround artists in the music industry.

Thinking through the process of media propaganda brought me to my current work with magazine covers. Magazines are the embodiment of the psychology behind marketing and advertising. Playing on the public’s psychological reaction to magazines, and preconceived ideas about who should be in them, I began projecting my image and ideals on the covers of magazines. I further abstracted the concept by juxtaposing my character’s in-your-face, hip hop bravado on fine art magazines. The work begins with professional photo shoots and graphic design to create sketches for the over-sized canvases. A combination of ideas are then examined in the final pieces that play with notions of fame, image and black masculinity as well as fine art insider politics.

Upcoming Events:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VasYLhXdMqo&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999&border=1]

BOOK SIGNING Monday, March 16 :: Fahamu Pecou “Fahamenon” book signing with Fahamu Pecou, Conduit Gallery, 1626 C Hi Line Dr. Dallas, TX 7-10pm

ARTIST TALK: Tuesday, March 17 :: Fahamu Pecou, The Fort Worth Museum of Modern Art, 3200 Darnell St., Fort Worth, TX, 7PM

Related Links:

http://www.fahamupecouart.com

http://www.conduitgallery.com/

There seems to be a scandal a brewin’ on the Dallas art scene! I have no interest in getting to the bottom of it, but in the mean time I’ll probably follow it as intently as I did Brit Brit’s “rough patch”. I actually stumbled upon it by complete accident as I was browsing exhibits in Dallas that I might want to check out, and came across an event posting for Eric Trich’s “omg!” exhibit currently on display at the Cathedral of Hope. What caught my attention you ask? Simeen Ishaque, a Richland College art professor, had this to say about Trich and his work: “He could be another Basquiat in the making.”

PAUSE

To get straight to the point, and to not give this any more attention than it deserves, Eric Trich is a 20 year old Dallas artist who is currently attending SMU’s Meadows School of the Arts. So what’s the big deal? Well, Mr. Trich and his mentor Siros have been drumming up lots of hype by creating what is quickly proving to be a fake list of international collector’s that are vying for, and currently own, Trich’s art collections. This Starbuck’s employee, turned overnight artist along with everyone else involved is apparently having a ball creating the “art star fantasy”, as Trich “omg!” is his first solo exhibit and he only has a few others on his resume including an exhibit at Richland Community college (where he was a student before transferring to SMU), a branch library, and now a church.

Full detailed articles can be found at the Park Cities People website as well as Titus O., but from the sheer lack of information available (finding any information about him at all was a chore, and there is no information at all about said art collectors), Trich’s amateur status, and lackluster art that I’ve seen posted on the web…I have reached a conclusion, and I definitely smell a rat!

I will certianly stop by his current exhibit since staying on top of industry news is kind of my job, but don’t expect to see much more free publicity for such ridiculous shenanigans. This type of activity makes a total mockery of the art industry, and I choose to only support artists and art enthusiasts actively working to build a sound, ethical community.

Sidebar: If he’s really selling ALL of his artwork at 4-5 figure prices, wouldn’t you think he’d employ a graphic designer to whip up a more appealing event flyer sans the skull cane? I’m just sayin…

YTMND is an internet community of users that basically create internet memes, which are splash pages of a single image with an accompanying sound loop. Yup, it’s definitely useless internet humor for the most part, but somewhere in this process art is often a very unexpected byproduct. This exhibition will present a selection of these websites in the gallery, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t intrigued.

This type of exhibit definitely isn’t for everyone, but for the rest of us that are always pushing the envelope and consider ourselves to be liberated internet “thought leaders”…this exhibit should not be overlooked. A billion reasons that this exhibit might be a FAIL surely come to mind, but keep an open mind and I think this may prove to be one of the more interesting exhibits of this gallery season.

Unfortunately, I won’t be able to attend the opening, but I will drop by the gallery next week to take a peek. Stay tuned for the review!

“You’re the Man Now Dog” The Original

Left Speaker vs. Right Speaker (I found this one, and I think it’s dope!)

Lindsay Lohan’s Facial Expressions Never Change, one of the most famous YTMNDs (No Image)

and/or gallery

4221 Bryan St. Ste B
Dallas, TX 75204
tel: 214 824 2442

hours:
W 5p-8p, Th-Sa 12p-6p

Please read the press release for additional information:

And/Or Gallery Press Release #22

]]> http://artamental.com/2009/03/04/andor-gallery-dont-call-it-a-comeback/feed/ 1 http://artamental.com/2009/02/20/gallery-2111-houston-hosted-by-cornbreadd/ http://artamental.com/2009/02/20/gallery-2111-houston-hosted-by-cornbreadd/#comments Fri, 20 Feb 2009 01:05:29 +0000 Kristi Young http://element8.wordpress.com/?p=211

Established Houston artist Gregory Carter is celebrating his 30th birthday with an art exhibit at Gallery 2111! The event will be hosted by Cornbreadd who recently was a top 3 finalist on 50 Cents MTV reality show “The Money & The Power”. The event will also feature performances by the lovely Lisa E. of the Houston Grand Opera and Fat Tony. It’s definitely an event you won’t want to miss!

The ultimate beef. Who would have ever thought  that a not-so-quiet art revolution would bubble up to the surface and be the force to bring the rivals together? Not quite the Biggie vs. Tupac or LL vs. Canibus or even the most recent Saigon vs. Joe Budden, if even for the simple fact that these artists understand that 2 or 3 or even 5 heads will always collectively be better than 1, especially when creating art to reach a common goal. In this case that goal was to celebrate Black History, and to be optimistic about the future of this country.

Saturday, January 17 – The Art Hotel Gallery in Dallas, Texas opened it’s doors for it’s Black History Tribute featuring artists such as the almighty C. Kirk, Robert Hodge (“he’s a bad man”), the “never know what you’re gonna get” Walter Johnson, Jr, and reknowned sculptor Eric Pouncie…just to name a few. Each piece depicted a snapshot in time of an important moment or figure in Black History whose legacy is one that should be told over and over again from many different perspectives. Each piece had it’s own story to tell. In all my years of attending gallery opening, never has an exhibit been quite so relevant and relatable, and moving, and to the point. Not to mention the impromtu jam session that involved Michael K. Taylor on the harmonica and Walter Johnson, Jr. on the trumpet (kinda)!

The show was met with critical acclaim, and will open it’s doors to the public for an additional viewing party on February 1, 2-6P.

www.myspace.com/art_hotel for more details.