Wind in the sails…

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Hi folks,

It’s been a few, I know.

Let’s just say it’s been a bit of a whirlwind lately.

…sold some work, got some work in a show, starting a company and still trying to keep up with my teaching. That’s actually not too bad, considering.

Work is work.

The show is coming up this weekend in Chicago and my friend, artist Gene Schmidt, and I are flying down for the opening and to tool around for a couple of days to refresh our memories.

tomorrow = light rain, 51 degrees. Not as bad as I thought.

Saturday, 60 degrees! Finally, some sign of spring.

here’s the lowdown:

For immediate release:

Opening: Saturday, APRIL 5th 7-10PM At Alogon Gallery
“The Strange Place”
curated by Dayton Castleman

With works by: Rob Matthews, Keith Crowley, Gene Schmidt, Rubens
Ghenov, Alert Pedulla, Wayne Adams, Mark Dixon, Tim Gierschick, and
Ben Volta

Including: A dialouge through essays with Dayton Castleman, Jim
Elkins, and Kevin Hamilton. Also, an interview with dealer Rowley
Kennerk – all available online after the show.

“The Strange Place”

Alogon Gallery asked Dayton Castleman to curate a show after
witnessing a discussion that took place between him and James Elkins
on the topic of Christianity and art. Elkins’ book On the Strange
Place of Religion in Contemporary Art speaks to the difficulty that
contemporary art discourse has in dealing with religious subject
matter and how generally the two are incompatible. We asked Dayton to
curate a show that explores this subject and James Elkins to share his
thoughts about the show in writing. The interest is not to inspire
belief but rather to try and address the issue of belief and ideology
in the wake of the post-modern condition, to try and establish a
language and dialouge around belief that does not need to always
shield itself with either irony or the conceptual aesthetic of
neutrality. Is it possible to use the wisdom gained from decades of
active deconstruction towards a renewed investigation into the realm
of possibility?

In Dayton’s words:

The Strange Place is not meant to suggest some kind of final word or
solution to the issue (of religion and art). It is impossible to avoid
the complexities of language, and I’m not presuming to transcend that
difficulty in this show. What this show does is fill a concrete place
in contemporary art—a real, material, dimensional space— with the art
of religious people. I don’t intend the show to operate as a polemic
toward some religious end, but as an occurrence that could serve as a
discrete point of reference within an ongoing conversation.

**The opening hours of the show will be from 1-4 on April 6th and April 13th**

I’ll try to post the essays next week.

Here are some pics:
Gene Schmidt
Rob Matthews
Albert Pedula
Timothy Gierschick
Well, that’s one of mine.

I sent 3 portraits and a couple of videos down.

If you’re in the area, stop by or give a call, I’d love to say hi.

word.

-W

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