CONTEMPORARY ART MUSEUM ST. LOUISFLAT FILES INTERVIEW

I've been a part of the Flat Files collection at the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis for the better part of two years and was recently asked to be the first in a series of featured artist interviews. If you've read this blog at all you know the Contemporary has done a lot for me in the past few years and I'm extremely honored and excited to be collaborating with them again. Thanks CAMSTL!

CELLAR DOOR

I have some work in this show that opens tomorrow at the Contemporary Art Museum in St. Louis. I'm excited, to say the least. Special thanks to Marie Heilich for asking me to be a part of it.

A group exhibition in The Front Room

featuring work by Alex Da Corte, Trevor Reese and Justin Visnesky.

Guest curated by Marie Heilich.
July 14-August 1

Open Studios Preview Party- Tuesday, July 20th, 6-8PM


Although ordinary by definition and insignificant in meaning, "cellar door" is said to be the most phonetically beautiful combination of words in the English language. Similar to the word pairing, this exhibition explores unglorified objects that transcend their original mundanity once recontextualized. As a result of living in a production and consumption based society in the aftermath of the post-modern era, artists have taken on the role of editor rather than creator.

In a selection of photographs from the series Sometimes You Just Know, Justin Visnesky avoids staging or manipulation of images and instead selects casual moments to document, resonating nostalgia and sincerity. In Trevor Reese’s interactive installation Hope to See You Soon, fruit is moved from a stand to a shelf, while the fruit on the shelf is consumed daily. Alex Da Corte’s hand-crafted banner Forever and Ever mimics a store-bought decoration, aside from the curiously idealistic sentiment. Da Corte’s untitled installation is composed of six plastic swords and one metal sword arranged to lean against the gallery wall in a line.

Similar to the way products are made with a universal purpose for the anonymous individual, the reemployment of objects in an art context can provoke shared experiences thus reactivating the cycle of production and consumption. Through the selection, arrangement and context of the white cube, prefabricated objects are infused with a new poetic purpose readily available for the viewer’s consumption.

G R E E N G R E E N G R A S S

I have a show coming up in Pittsburgh in April. Stop by if you're in town. Here's what it's about:

"I moved back to my native Pennsylvania in February 2009 after living in St. Louis, Missouri for six years. The photographs in the show were made over the past year and are about what it feels like to be home."

A limited edition set of 4" x 5" prints will be available for purchase during the opening.

GREEN, GREEN GRASS

April 2 – April 30

opening reception

Friday, April 2
7 to 10 pm

IMAGEBOX
4933 Penn Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15224
www.friendship-pgh.org/paai/unblurred

Friends

Bryan on our old steps, St. Louis, MO, 2006

My good friend Bryan Reckamp (above) recently updated his website. It looks fantastic (way to go Bryan!). Check it out if you have a minute and give him a shout. He's currently riding his bike across the country and he's probably somewhere in Oklahoma or Colorado, but he has an iphone, so there you go.

Happy 4th of July!

High Life, St. Louis, MO, 2005

Heather and flowers, St. Louis, MO, 2005

Jesus Room, St. Louis, MO, 2005

Clydesdale Painting, Anheuser-Busch Brewery, 2006

Shaved Pipe, 2008

Mike at Mekong, 2006

tired

untitled (pink pillows on bed), st. louis mo, 2006

we finally finished moving this week and i'm tired… happy, but tired. we sold our house and are now renting. the new place is actually bigger than our house and it's all on one floor, something i'm really getting into. i'm looking forward to a nice relaxing summer, free of yard work and worrying that our air conditioner is going to shoot craps. and who knows, maybe i'll have some time to take photos again. i'm already feeling inspired by the new and naturally brighter space.