Empty Spaces: A New Normal
The Union of Maine Visual Artists with the Portland Media Center and I are pleased to host the upcoming exhibition: “Empty Spaces: A New Normal”, with fifteen photographic artworks by myself, Natalie E. Brown, and a collaborative multimedia work section by selected members of the Portland Community. This includes the work of Jasper Gaffney, Josh Heriot, Sam Murphy, and Libby Scutt.
This collection addresses the impact of the pandemic on both tourism and everyday life in the world; to illustrate the eerie silence all around us; but, also the beauty of that stillness and an overtake of nature in an otherwise turbulent time.
The collection will go live at UMVA Gallery@PMC on March 1st and will be on display through the 27th, 2021. The collection can be visited in person with pre existing appointments and for the duration of the month online from the Portland Media Center, The Union of Maine Visual Artists, and my own website.
Call ahead to book in person visits at least 24 hours in advance. Hours: 1pm - 5pm Saturdays and Sundays. (207) 775-2900.
The Union of Maine Visual Artists with the Portland Media Center and I are pleased to host the upcoming exhibition: “Empty Spaces: A New Normal”, with fifteen photographic artworks by myself, Natalie E. Brown, and a collaborative multimedia work section by selected members of the Portland Community. This includes the work of Jasper Gaffney, Josh Heriot, Sam Murphy, and Libby Scutt.
This collection addresses the impact of the pandemic on both tourism and everyday life in the world; to illustrate the eerie silence all around us; but, also the beauty of that stillness and an overtake of nature in an otherwise turbulent time.
The collection will go live at UMVA Gallery@PMC on March 1st and will be on display through the 27th, 2021. The collection can be visited in person with pre existing appointments and for the duration of the month online from the Portland Media Center, The Union of Maine Visual Artists, and my own website.
Call ahead to book in person visits at least 24 hours in advance. Hours: 1pm - 5pm Saturdays and Sundays. (207) 775-2900.
Let's take a look!
Natalie E. Brown
She/Her
Digital Photography
Various Titles
Website
Patreon
This collection addresses the impact of the pandemic on both tourism and everyday life in the world; to illustrate the eerie silence all around us; but, also the beauty of that stillness and an overtake of nature in an otherwise turbulent time. For me, this meant taking photos of my surroundings in Western Europe, where I lived at the time of the first lockdown.
As a curator, I left the floor open for the other artists to express their responses to the pandemic, reflecting its effect on them and the lives of others in communities across the state. These vary from multimedia, woodworking, and textile pieces, offering a multitude of manifestos and angles, even in our small offer of works.
She/Her
Digital Photography
Various Titles
Website
Patreon
This collection addresses the impact of the pandemic on both tourism and everyday life in the world; to illustrate the eerie silence all around us; but, also the beauty of that stillness and an overtake of nature in an otherwise turbulent time. For me, this meant taking photos of my surroundings in Western Europe, where I lived at the time of the first lockdown.
As a curator, I left the floor open for the other artists to express their responses to the pandemic, reflecting its effect on them and the lives of others in communities across the state. These vary from multimedia, woodworking, and textile pieces, offering a multitude of manifestos and angles, even in our small offer of works.
Libby Scutt she/her
35 mm. Film photography
The Left Behind
Website
These pictures were taken in response to the social aspect of the pandemic. Through this work I hope to tell the stories of the people pictured. The first photograph tells the story of Brian Finch, a homeless man and hopeful artist. On our walk home a friend and I stopped and said hi to him and he played me a song he wrote called “The Girl with the Dry Eyes'' about his wife who had recently passed. He strummed his guitar with an old gift card and he sang with pain; when he ended he thanked us for listening to his story and bid us a good day. His longing and hope is something I wish to encapsulate in this work. The second picture tells the story of a society longing for the end of terror. Equipped with hand painted signs the community in Portland gathered to plead their case on the day of Breonna Taylor’s trial. There is anger and betrayal against the system, a community risking their lives to stand up for what they believe in. In this diptych I hope to show how the COVID-19 virus has affected the people of Portland, spreading not only disease but hurt and visible pain. As part of this exhibition, I hope my piece shows an intimate view of the turmoil lurking under the facade of an idyllic tourist town.
35 mm. Film photography
The Left Behind
Website
These pictures were taken in response to the social aspect of the pandemic. Through this work I hope to tell the stories of the people pictured. The first photograph tells the story of Brian Finch, a homeless man and hopeful artist. On our walk home a friend and I stopped and said hi to him and he played me a song he wrote called “The Girl with the Dry Eyes'' about his wife who had recently passed. He strummed his guitar with an old gift card and he sang with pain; when he ended he thanked us for listening to his story and bid us a good day. His longing and hope is something I wish to encapsulate in this work. The second picture tells the story of a society longing for the end of terror. Equipped with hand painted signs the community in Portland gathered to plead their case on the day of Breonna Taylor’s trial. There is anger and betrayal against the system, a community risking their lives to stand up for what they believe in. In this diptych I hope to show how the COVID-19 virus has affected the people of Portland, spreading not only disease but hurt and visible pain. As part of this exhibition, I hope my piece shows an intimate view of the turmoil lurking under the facade of an idyllic tourist town.
Sam Murphy
She/Her
Wet felting
Heartbeat
Etsy
The piece is a collection of hearts connected by tangled strings, the hearts are that of various species, human and non as I think the connections we need during this time are between more than humans. The piece originated as the connection I've had with pets during this hard time but it's moved into the complication of our relationships during this time and the inherent loneliness we all feel.
I would like to be part of this collection to tell the story of the people affected by this pandemic. It is not only a biological threat but also a threat to our social structure and the way we interact as a society.
She/Her
Wet felting
Heartbeat
Etsy
The piece is a collection of hearts connected by tangled strings, the hearts are that of various species, human and non as I think the connections we need during this time are between more than humans. The piece originated as the connection I've had with pets during this hard time but it's moved into the complication of our relationships during this time and the inherent loneliness we all feel.
I would like to be part of this collection to tell the story of the people affected by this pandemic. It is not only a biological threat but also a threat to our social structure and the way we interact as a society.
Joshua Heriot,
They/Them
Acrylic on Fabric Bandanas
Meditation 1
Website
Meditation I is a reflection of my thought processes concerning "goodness" or "purity." The piece asks you to think about what necessarily determines if someone is bad or good. More than anything, Meditation I functions as an inner dialogue made public. I would definitely consider my work a refreshed take on vent art. I wanted to dig deep, find something ugly, and pull it back to the surface. I was inspired by alt and DIY culture, which is why I opted for acrylic on cloth rather than silkscreen or block print.
Being nonbinary, and especially being queer during this pandemic, is an underrepresented area that has a lot of potential for conceptual exploration. There's something so intricate in the relationship between minority groups and the restrictions they already face in the modern day, compared to the restrictions that COVID has put on us. With this piece especially, there's a juxtaposition akin to those restrictions, where the process is tedious and time consuming despite the finished work appearing minimal.
They/Them
Acrylic on Fabric Bandanas
Meditation 1
Website
Meditation I is a reflection of my thought processes concerning "goodness" or "purity." The piece asks you to think about what necessarily determines if someone is bad or good. More than anything, Meditation I functions as an inner dialogue made public. I would definitely consider my work a refreshed take on vent art. I wanted to dig deep, find something ugly, and pull it back to the surface. I was inspired by alt and DIY culture, which is why I opted for acrylic on cloth rather than silkscreen or block print.
Being nonbinary, and especially being queer during this pandemic, is an underrepresented area that has a lot of potential for conceptual exploration. There's something so intricate in the relationship between minority groups and the restrictions they already face in the modern day, compared to the restrictions that COVID has put on us. With this piece especially, there's a juxtaposition akin to those restrictions, where the process is tedious and time consuming despite the finished work appearing minimal.
Jasper Gaffney
They/Them
Multimedia soft sculpture
Piss Napkin
Instagram
Lately my ability to create has been massively stunted, in conjunction with losing the access to the studios I generally think of as a home, the uncertainty facing the world and myself in this current pandemic has shaken my frail mental state. As I’m sure many have, I too fell into a downward fall, being someone with psychosis this can have dangerous implications, and so I felt compelled to return to my roots as an artist and ground myself in the simple process of making, to make, no concept, no strings attached. I wanted to lean back into humor, the uncanny, what drew me in so far to this abstract spiral that my work has taken. I wanted to put my absolute lack of coherent thought and mania into a weird little clown man - because it would take forever and preoccupy me - and to try and reconnect with my love for miniatures, and process heavy sculpture.
The making of this piece felt like a self portrait in the face of the changes the early days of shut down brought, and the mindstate of being unstable and fearful, unsure of the future.
They/Them
Multimedia soft sculpture
Piss Napkin
Lately my ability to create has been massively stunted, in conjunction with losing the access to the studios I generally think of as a home, the uncertainty facing the world and myself in this current pandemic has shaken my frail mental state. As I’m sure many have, I too fell into a downward fall, being someone with psychosis this can have dangerous implications, and so I felt compelled to return to my roots as an artist and ground myself in the simple process of making, to make, no concept, no strings attached. I wanted to lean back into humor, the uncanny, what drew me in so far to this abstract spiral that my work has taken. I wanted to put my absolute lack of coherent thought and mania into a weird little clown man - because it would take forever and preoccupy me - and to try and reconnect with my love for miniatures, and process heavy sculpture.
The making of this piece felt like a self portrait in the face of the changes the early days of shut down brought, and the mindstate of being unstable and fearful, unsure of the future.
Comments
Post a Comment