Newly Selected Artists-Chris Combs

Chris Combs, Pollination, 2023, aluminum, DIN terminal blocks, wire, screens, computers, 5 x 4.5 x 4 ft

Chris Combs, Black Box, 2023, pine, electrical enclosure door, LCD, and non-contact sensor, 13 x 8 x 6 in

Chris Combs, MacAffy’s Anti-Viral “Revigorator”, 2023, vintage light meter, brass, pigment print, 9 x 8 x 5 in (closed)

Chris Combs, Cryptid Currencies (1st - 11th drop), 2023, cast aluminum, 4.5 x 4.5 x 0.75 in (each)

Chris Combs, This Machine Hates Kids, 2023, alert beacon signal tower, camera, aluminum, PLA, computer, 26 x 6 x 6 in

Chris Combs, Vaporware, 2023, used steel enclosure, dichroic vinyl, aluminum, Boeing reading lamp assembly, LED matrix, acrylic, 8 x 17 x 3 in

Chris Combs, Snap Judgment, 2022, touchscreen, commercial case, computer, red paint edition of 10, 8 x 6 x 3 in

Chris Combs, Targeting, 2023, custom circuit boards, LEDs, aluminum, camera, 36 x 32 x 3 in

Chris Combs, “Naked Mueller”, 2019, three-ring binder, laser print, 12 x 9 x 3 in

Chris Combs, An Hour with ELIZA, 2023, dot-matrix print, 414 x 9 in

Chris Combs
Supercycle
July 8–July 30, 2023

A cryptocurrency hedge fund named Three Arrows relentlessly promoted a “crypto supercycle”: a years-long bear market that would eventually pay out individual crypto investors if they just held out a little longer.

This hype rallied their followers in times of downturn—until it didn’t, and Three Arrows Capital “vaporized a trillion dollars” (New York magazine) and singlehandedly created a “crypto winter.” Its founders are now in hiding.

To me, the “supercycle” stands for manipulative futurism: performative optimism, with the goal of self- enrichment.

In these works, I seek some of the futures available to us. The perfect speedrun; the wreckage of the present.

Does proactivity impede “progress”? Can we ignore the downsides of new technologies, like “AI”? Will tech companies just shake out biases in the next version?

I have my hunches, as you may have surmised. I, too, wish to see the future—but with clear eyes, or at least the rheumy haze of hard-learned experience.

About the artist:

Chris Combs is an artist based in Washington, DC, who creates provocative technology. His show Industry Standards (McLean Project for the Arts, 2023) featured works with reclaimed industrial components, reflecting on disruptive technologies, surveillance, and environmental destruction. Lossiness (VisArts, 2021) included seven artworks exploring human perception. The Algorithm Will See You Now (Transformer, 2022) addressed algorithmic bias and failings of “AI” products. Judging Me Judging You (DCAC, 2018) dealt with surveillance and control, and the thirty-five machines in Maelstrom (Rhizome DC, 2021) spread rumors about their visitors. Madness Method, a public art collaboration with David Greenfieldboyce, was part of 2021’s Georgetown GLOW.

Chris is a recipient of the DC CAH AHFP program. He is a graduate of the Corcoran College of Art + Design and was a photo editor for National Geographic. He joined the Otis Street Arts Project in May 2021.

Kelley O'Brien, Residence Time, 2023.

Kelley O'Brien, Dioxane 1,4, 2022, custom created perfume, 50 mL

Kelley O'Brien, Filtration, 2022, powder-coated aluminum, inkjet prints on acetate (1 of 3), 36 x 48 x 16 in

Kelley O'Brien, Filtration, 2022, powder-coated aluminum, inkjet prints on acetate (2 of 3), 24 x 36 x 16 in

Kelley O'Brien, Filtration, 2022, powder-coated aluminum, inkjet prints on acetate (3 of 3), 24 x 36 x 16 in

Kelley O'Brien, Residence Time, 2022, Two-channel sound, 5-36 minutes

Kelley O'Brien, Agitation, 2023, acrylic, servo motor, MDF, water (edition of 4), 16 x 20 x 4 in

Kelley O'Brien, Diffusion, 2022, acrylic orb, LED lighting, diffuser, custom-created perfume, 12 x 12 x 12 in

Kelley O'Brien, Absorption, 2022, industrial absorbent sock, servo motor, aluminum housing (edition of 3), 4 x 4 x 120 in

Kelley O'Brien, Absorption, 2022, industrial absorbent sock, servo motor, aluminum housing (edition of 3), 4 x 4 x 120 in

Kelley O’Brien
Residence Time
July 8–July 30, 2023

In 2014 it was reported that an unknown quantity of the carcinogen “dioxane 1,4” had leaked into the Cape Fear River Basin contaminating the drinking water of over one million people. Despite the known risks of liver/kidney damage and death, dioxane 1,4 remains unregulated at the city, state, and federal level. This project investigates the city’s complicity in violence, both against humans and the environment, in support of the industries that fund Greensboro. As a highly miscible (i.e. mixes well) substance in water that does not readily biodegrade in the environment, dioxane 1,4 is virtually undetectable without scientific equipment, however in large volumes it has a distinct smell. Often described as sickly sweet like overripe fruit, the scent of dioxane 1,4 envelopes the viewer in the waters laden with unseen state-sanctioned violence. Through overlapping social, environmental, and industrial concerns this installation illustrates that all local actions flow out to sea.

The project was organized In collaboration with Marcus Brathwaite: Sound Design; Kevin Vanek: Metal Fabrication; Nick Rutz: Image Fabrication; and Kathleen Block: Assistant Videographer.

About the artist:

Kelley O’Brien is an interdisciplinary artist working in the American South, with her background in architecture and design. Kelley’s work negotiates boundaries between industrial and “natural” landscapes, through a feminist perspective, to explore cultural links between gender hierarchy and the domination of the natural world. Political and environmental systems intertwine to form the core of her practice, often taking the form of time-based media and installations, to offer a glimpse into personal and collective experiences across spaces of heightened social and environmental importance.

She has exhibited at the CICA Museum (Korea), National College of Art and Design (Ireland), Stroboskop Art Space (Warsaw), as well as Transformer Station, McDonough Museum of Art, and The Everson Museum of Art in the United States. Kelley has been awarded grants from the Foundation for Contemporary Arts, ArtsGreensboro, Ohio Arts Council, Wexford Arts Council, and a Fulbright Scholarship to the Philippines. She attended residencies at Green Papaya Art Space in the Philippines, the Irish Museum of Art in Dublin, Laboratory Spokane, Wassaic Project, and the Scottish Sculpture Workshop in Lumsden.

Her artistic practice extends into her academic and curatorial research through collaborative projects with Francis Halsall under the title “Mapping Systems.” Collectively, they have held workshops, lecture courses, and curated residencies in Ireland, the United States, and the Philippines. Through her art, curatorial, and collaborative research practices, O’Brien seeks to highlight precarious and indeterminate environments as a political act to give power to untold histories, and provide underrepresented perspectives as alternative ways to critically engage with our ecosystems locally and globally.

Walter Rindone, Spleen Nr. 1, 2018, anastatic printing, 140 x 100 cm.

Walter Rindone, Spleen Nr. 2, 2018, anastatic printing, 140 x 100 cm.

Walter Rindone, The Tide - Tryptic Nr. 1, 2019, anastatic printing, 300 x 140 cm (100 x 140 cm each).

Walter Rindone, The Tide - Tryptic Nr. 2, 2019, anastatic printing, 300 x 140 cm (100 x 140 cm each).

Walter Rindone, The Tide - Tryptic Nr. 3, 2019, anastatic printing, 300 x 140 cm (100 x 140 cm each).

Walter Rindone, The Death of Abel, 2020, anastatic printing, 140 x 100 cm.

Walter Rindone, Shadow Over Babylon, 2018, anastatic printing, 216 x 216 cm (72 x 72 cm each).

Walter Rindone
Tales from the Deep Dark Web
June 3–July 2, 2023

The paradoxical implications of human activities and their impact on the planet. Actions to organize cultural and religious systems and society. Consumerism as the new ritual dimension of man. These are just some of the topics that form the background of the project entitled Tales from the Deep Dark Web, the last chapter of an ongoing series of artworks that began to take place in 2016.

The project consists of the alteration of biblical illustrations by the French artist Paul Gustave Doré, which are implemented with found imagery coming from any sort of informational medium, ranging from printed sources—such as books and magazines—to the internet. The artworks are produced by using an experimental printmaking technique called anastatic printing.

About the artist:

Walter Rindone (born in Caltagirone, Italy) is a visual artist with a background in experimental printmaking techniques. He creates his artworks by the use of solely recycled images, involving image manipulation and image reproduction processes such as collage and anastatic printing. He mastered these techniques as a trainee at the Academy of Fine Arts in Łódź, and in his doctoral studies at the Eugeniusz Geppert Academy of Art and Design in Wrocław.

The basis of his work is a reflection on images as carriers of sensory information and their symbolic nature. As well as the role of images on the diffused aestheticization brought by the ever-accelerating systems of society and the implications that follow. Such reflection culminated in an ongoing project entitled The Black Series, consisting of reinterpretations of images from an 1843 edition of the Bible illustrated by the French artist Paul Gustave Doré.

Elaine M. Erne, Lil’ Bunny Leaves A Note, 2022, graphite pencil on paper, 72 x 54 in. (detail)

Elaine M. Erne, Mr. Clown Hangs Out With His Friends, 2023, graphite pencil on paper, 102 x 94 in.

Elaine M. Erne, Lil’ Bunny Leaves A Note, 2022, graphite pencil on paper, 72 x 54 in.

Elaine M. Erne, Mr. Clown Takes His Friends For A Midnight Stroll, 2021, graphite pencil on paper, 94 x 144 in.

Elaine M. Erne, Lanie Doll, 2019, graphite pencil on paper, 72 x 126 in.

Elaine M. Erne, Dr Bunny, 2023, graphite pencil on paper, 14 x 11 in.

Elaine M. Erne, Lovely Bunny, 2023, graphite pencil on paper, 14 x 11 in.

Elaine M. Erne, Missy Mouse, 2023, graphite pencil on paper, 14 x 11 in.

Elaine M. Erne, Pinky Dog, 2023, graphite pencil on paper, 14 x 11 in.

Elaine M. Erne, Square Bear, 2023, graphite pencil on paper, 14 x 11 in.

Elaine M. Erne, Squiggles, 2023, graphite pencil on paper, 14 x 11 in.

Elaine M. Erne
They See All
June 3–July 2, 2023

The Lives and Traumas of Stuffed Animals is a continuing series of prints and large graphite drawings of Lanie Doll and her friends that represent individuals and their emotional relationships with themselves and others. In recurring stressful situations, people often become like dolls, putting forward a cheerful persona, no matter what is happening. The dolls encapsulate the personality of an individual and allow the artist to explore the inner workings of painful relationships without being immersed in the reality of difficult interactions. Although there is a playful side, the underlying theme is fear, cruelty, isolation, and survival. Though the situations represented are far from real, no stuffed animals were harmed in the making of the work; they capture the aura that surrounds people who on the outside appear happy, while actually experiencing deep sorrow, loneliness, and tension in their daily lives.

The layers of graphite pencil in the large drawings and dense ink in the prints create deep blacks in the space that surrounds the stuffed animals, confirming the feeling of isolation one feels when totally overwhelmed and powerless. The drawings are larger than life (the largest being 94″ x 144″) so that they surround the viewer and encapsulate them into a disturbing—but at the same time strangely whimsical—moment, causing a mixed reaction to the work.

About the artist:

Elaine M. Erne, co-founder and co-director of Star Wheel Printers, received her BFA from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA, and her MFA from Tyler School of Art, Temple University in Philadelphia, PA. Erne’s drawings and prints have been featured in numerous invitational and juried national exhibitions. She has had multiple solo exhibitions: Small Drawings and Prints, The Study, Philadelphia, PA; Lives and Traumas of Stuffed Animals, Artworks Center for Contemporary Art, Loveland, CO; Lanie Doll and Friends, House Gallery, Philadelphia, PA; Mr. Bunny Misses His Friends, Nexus, Foundation for Today’s Arts, Philadelphia PA; Elaine M. Erne: Drawings and Prints, Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ; Mr. Bunny and Friends, Nexus, Foundation for Today’s Arts, Philadelphia PA; The Lives and Traumas of Stuffed Animals, Bahdeebahdu Gallery, Philadelphia, PA; a Wind Challenge Exhibition, Fleisher Art Memorial, Philadelphia, PA; and a Community Gallery Solo Exhibition, Abington Art Center, Abington, PA.

Erne is a recipient of a Dene M. Louchheim Faculty Fellowship, Fleisher Art Memorial, Philadelphia, PA; and a Career Development Fellowship with The Center for Emerging Visual Artists, Philadelphia, PA. She was one of twenty-five artists selected by the Center of Emerging Visual Artists to represent them in their 25th Year Anniversary Exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Erne won the Jane Friend Purchase Award in the Brand Associates’ 43rd Annual Works On Paper National Juried Exhibition in Glendale, CA. She is currently on the faculties of Drexel University, Moore College of Art and Design, the University of the Arts, and the Fleisher Art Memorial, all in Philadelphia, PA.

Andrew Hladky, Its some kynd of thing it aint us but yet its in us, 2018, oil paint and bamboo sticks on panel, 12 x 18 x 10 in.

Andrew Hladky, A fable of the changeless and the fleeting, 2022, oil paint and bamboo sticks on panel, 8 x 10.5 x 4.5 in.

Andrew Hladky, Well, this is goodbye, 2018, oil paint and bamboo sticks on panel, 9 x 10.5 x 3 in.

Andrew Hladky, Unfashioned creatures, but half imagined, 2023, oil paint and bamboo sticks on panel, 26 x 26 x 9 in.

Andrew Hladky, Saying the Sylents, 2020, oil paint and bamboo sticks on panel, 7.5 x 7 x 5 in.

Andrew Hladky, Again we waited. Again nothing happened, 2022, oil paint and bamboo sticks on panel, 19.5 x 25 x 9 in.

Andrew Hladky, All the tracks in the world out paths nor not a 1 to bring you back, 2021, oil paint and bamboo sticks on panel, 17 x 21.5 x 6 in.

Andrew Hladky, Just remember death is not the end, 2016, oil paint and bamboo sticks on panel, 28.5 x 42.5 x 2.5 in.

Andrew Hladky, The bloody meat and boan of it, 2019, oil paint and bamboo sticks on panel, 12 x 16 x 6 in.

Andrew Hladky
Memories fade, soil deepens
June 3–July 2, 2023

Memories fade, soil deepens presents paintings made of oil paint and bamboo sticks that are built into high sculptural relief, growing out towards the viewer like living organisms. They play between flat image and sculptural form, exploring the point at which images break down and the materials and processes that make them become impossible to ignore.

At times of joyful abandon, or during bouts of illness or depression, we can lose track of our conscious selves—the images we carry of who we are dissolving into the mysterious physical workings of the unconscious body. The paintings in Memories fade, soil deepens aim to echo this sense of dislocation. Surface imagery shows the nostalgic, fragmentary landscapes of memory. Underneath, the sculptural build-up churns, worms of paint overflowing the illusion and causing it to give way to the tumult and exuberance of its material form.

About the artist:

Andrew Hladky is a British/American artist currently living in the DC area. Since moving to the US in 2015, he has held solo exhibitions around the country, at Rockville, Maryland; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Arlington, Virginia; and Raleigh, North Carolina. Hladky is the winner of the Bethesda Painting Award (2022), and the London Art Award at the London Festival Fringe (2010). He is the recipient of an AHCMC Artists and Scholars Project Grant, and he has been awarded many fellowships and residencies in support of his work, including a Pollock-Krasner Fellowship at Vermont Studio Center, a Charm City Fellowship at Millay Arts, a fellowship at Yaddo, and the Salzburg Künstlerhaus/VCCA Exchange Residency in Salzburg, Austria.