"Crafted" Exhibition
TEMP Art Space
This event has ended.
TEMP Art Space presents CRAFTED an exhibition featuring the work of eight artists who use various specialized technical skills – including
carpentry, sewing, embroidery, and draping – to produce art. Artists include: Max Colby, Raul de Nieves, Eddie Kang, Ryan Kelly, Alex Posen, Shan Raoufi, Reid Strelow, and Elizabeth Tubersen.
Taking its cue from the historic celebration of objets d’art, CRAFTED asserts the importance of artisanal skills and aesthetics of beauty within contemporary artistic practice to convey emotion, meaning, and purpose. This exhibition is curated by TEMP co-founders Alex Ahn and Ari Lipkis.
Craft can imply the production of a utilitarian object, often the reason art history scholars have dismissed craft from the their lofty realm of study. Elizabeth Tubersen's stairway is an affront to the distinct definition between what can be utilitarian or craft and what is uniquely art. A stairwell has a simple purpose, to transport people from a lower point in a structure to a higher point or visa versa. Tubersen's stairwell is rendered impractical and contrary to the inherent purpose of stairs – instead it is a sculptural work.
From her series Falls, Untitled by Alex Posen demonstrates pure elegance. Rippling pieces of sheer silk gently cascade down, evoking a demure sense of rhythm and movement. Posen masterfully uses fabric as expressively as another artist might utilize paint. Her long honed skills in fashion are now serving her meticulously well in art. Posen describes her work as " exploring corporeality and
gravity."
Reid Strewlow’s Wheel is an enormous wooden printing device that is mounted on the wall alongside several of its prints. The piece serves as a beautiful object in itself and as a practical tool to create the accompanying prints.
Raul de Nieves, though not a craftsman in the traditional sense, makes fantastical works using a set of techniques that he developed on his own. Raul's shoes, which he often uses during performances with his band Haribo, are dazzlingly assembled with thousands of beads seamlessly joined together.
Opening Night Performance
Playing the role of the iconic Superman, Ryan Kelly clumsily constructs the hero’s headquarters in his piece Fortress of Solitude. By making acting out the ordinary job of construction, Kelly presents the difficulty of craft while commenting on the on the limits of those we idolize.
Media
Schedule
from April 06, 2013 to April 27, 2013
Opening Reception on 2013-04-06 from 20:00 to 23:00
Featuring performance by Ryan Kelly