Tomorrow will be the opening reception of our new exhibitions by artist Susan Silas. “eyes wide shut” in the East Gallery shows a series of photographs found dead birds. “A child of sixties television sing songs that got stuck in her head” in the West Gallery shows a video performance of Susan, plus a series of self-portraits. The dates are:
April 9 – May 15, 2011
Opening Reception: Saturday, April 9, 5 – 7 p.m.
Artist Talk: Saturday, April 23, 2011, 3 p.m.
Excerpt from our press release:
The series found birds, 2000 – the present is a collection of portfolios developed by Silas during the past decade. The series began serendipitously, when a small sparrow fell dead on the sidewalk at the artist’s feet. Silas documents with patient and focused resolve the irreversible transition from being to matter. Revealing aspects of decay and transformation, death and renewal, Silas simultaneously examines the continuum and resilience of life, self-consciously enlisting her photographs to do what photography does best — mining the medium’s ability to expose exactly what existed in front of the lens — conveying the unique fragility of sentient beings and their inevitable loss.
Her video performance, A child of sixties television singing songs that got stuck in her head, depicts Silas singing popular opening theme songs from late 50s and 60s television shows. Her isolated serenade is captured as she sings to her reflection in a large mirror. In Silas’ renditions of Bat Masterson, Rawhide, Yogi Bear, The Mickey Mouse Club, and other once popular melodies, she enacts rituals of self-intimacy and creates a commentary on aging, memory and the inevitable advancement of time, while reminding us of the peculiar cultural productions that hold us together generationally and mark the movement from one generation to the next. Accompanying this video are suites of self-portraits in which her two selves inhabit the same frame. Each image juxtaposes a stark self-portrait in the foreground against a softer idealized portrait reflected in the mirror; a literal reminder of the divide between one’s self and one’s self-perception.
Read the entire press release here.
Come join us for the opening reception and the artist talk on April 23. Here are a couple of more articles about Susan Silas and her work:
- Charlie Finch, I Love Susan Silas, artnet Magazine
- Roger Denson, Holocost and Redemption in the Photography of Susan Silas, Huffington Post, April 5, 2011
- Peter Clothier, Art Notes, The Buddha Diaries, April 9, 2011 added on 4/9/2011 2:06pm
