July 14, 2006

And/Or Gallery Show #4

I was invited to curate a show at And/Or Gallery and this is what I've come up with. It was a lot of work I tell ya. But what I like so much about it is that I got be the kid in the candy store. I had no theme for the show except that I wanted strong work that would create an interesting dialogue. Vague and art-speaky, I know. But you don't have to worry about that. What you need to do is come and enjoy the show. Alright enough talk, here's the press release.

And/Or Show #4 | Denise Burge and Jahjehan Bath Ives, guest-curated by Ryan Fitzer

The exhibition dates are July 15th - August 19th, and the opening reception will be July 15th 6pm-9pm and we'll have beer and a veggie burger cookout. Denise will be in attendance.

Denise Burge's "quilted paintings explore the mutiny of nature against evolution and industry. Primal, visceral and muddy, the fact that these works -- neither quilts nor paintings, but both -- look almost like graffiti further emphasizes the struggle of the insurgent." (citybeat)

She received her MFA from Virginia Commonwealth University and has had solo shows at A.R.C. Gallery and Artemesia Gallery in Chicago, Illinois; Linda Schwartz Gallery and Weston Art Gallery in Cincinnati, OH and the Urban Institute for Contemporary Art in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Burge has also received numerous awards and grants including the Joan Mitchell Foundation Award in 2004.

Jahjehan Bath Ives gains her inspiration from the act of translating common western myths and religious stories into imagery. By using the framework of wallpaper or domestic space, she captures the figures in these stories in a way that makes them part of their setting.

Ives has had solo shows at Temple Gallery in Rome, Italy; Cactus Bra Space in San Antonio, TX; Project Row Houses, Lawndale Art Center, and Mackey Gallery in Houston, TX and Daniel Martinez Gallery in Munich, Germany. Jahjehan Bath Ives is currently an MFA candidate at Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia, PA.