Rachel Rotenberg, On Blue, 2012

Rachel Rotenberg, Before Midnight, 2012

Rachel Rotenberg, Conversation, 2007

March 2012

New Work

An enduring commitment to sculpture accompanies Rachel Rotenberg throughout her life. Her sculptures are stories of a life rooted in wood. When people engage with her sculptures, she feels connected to the larger world through the simple presence of the wood tooled into shapes previously unimagined, and her personal story falls away. What remains is something universal, that speaks truthfully, no matter how dissimilar the outer trappings of our lives.

Her primary material is cedar wood beacuse she is attarcted to its pliability, color, texture, earthy smell, and its simple beauty. Using a variety of machinery and hand tools, she cuts, glues, clamps and dowels the wood to create a dialogue between materials and forms.

Please visit www.rachelrotenberg.com for more information about her work.

Watch the artist interview here.

March 2012

Looking for Now

As a closeted young boy, Daniel Venne secretly drew his own erotic pictures. Feelings of shame then drove him to unceremoniously destroy the same images with fire. Nothing could be left of the pleasure he could not reconcile, no trace that he had used some “God-given gift” to give life to his desire for men.

This is an exhibit of drawings inspired by online gay hookup sites. These works reflect the poses and presentations of men who are “Looking For Now”—urgently and guilefully seeking sexual contact with other men. From the early days of America Online “M4M” chat rooms to the no-strings smartphone apps Scruff and Grindr, technology has changed the way that men present images of themselves as available sex players. Fantasy is offered alongside prosaic realities, and isolated images collectively give voice to a community, a neighborhood of vulnerable men trying to find a way to connect with other men. The drawings, executed in watercolor on tea-stained paper, present men through Venne’s eyes and hand. They are part erotica, part anthropological study, and part self-portrait.

Please visit www.danielvenne.com for more information about her work.

March 2012

A Geometry of Though: Visualizing Binaries

Zazenski’s work explores the inherent and applied complexity and possibility that exists within words. It focuses on the dynamics of emotion through which we develop relationships and define, categorize, and relate abstract notions. It is about exploring a new visual system for the written word and creating the opportunity to re-see and experience these symbols in new ways that highlights their inherent fragility and mutability. This work is part of a greater investigation into both the conscious and subconscious influences on our thoughts and movements, inspired by the cultural and societal tendencies that shape language and communication.

Please visit www.cargocollective.com/kathrynzazenski for more information about her work.

Watch the artist interview here.

Elizabeth Holtry, Fruit Stripe, 2008.

Elizabeth Holtry, Naked Lunch, 2009

Elizabeth Holtry, Lost in Baltimore, 2009-2010

Elizabeth Holtry, Hissing Cousins, 2009

Elizabeth Holtry, Fetch, 2008

Elizabeth Holtry, You're Precisely My Type, 2010

February 2012

Toile de Jouy

Holtry’s paintings depict animals that few people appreciate, such as hyenas, insects, and rats. Often wondering why it is that people advocate equality between humans, yet so freely discriminate in our opinions of animals, her work addresses our prejudicial attitudes toward these animals. Holtry’s inspiration also comes from an ongoing interest in the decorative arts and textiles.

Please visit www.elizabethholtry.com for more information about her work.

David Myers, Untitled #1 (Giraffe), 2008-2011

David Myers, Untitled #3 (Zebra), 2008-2011

David Myers, Untitled #7 (Red Panda), 2008-2011

David Myers, Untitled #14 (Jellyfish), 2008-2011

David Myers, Untitled #2 (Human), 2008-2011

David Myers, Untitled #13 (Sea Anemone), 2008-2011

February 2012

Confined: Visual Synonyms