Vast Beautiful System (barely holding together)
Hollis Heichemer, Austin Heitzman, Sophie Jodoin, Jon Olivieri, Rebecca Saylor Sack, Richard Taransky, and Chris Vecchio
Curated by Alex Kanevsky
November 8 – December 21, 2007
PHILADELPHIA, PA (October 8, 2007) – Jenny Jaskey at Tower Gallery is pleased to announce the opening of Vast Beautiful System (barely holding together), a group exhibition curated by Alex Kanevsky featuring Hollis Heichemer, Austin Heitzman, Sophie Jodoin, Jon Olivieri, Rebecca Saylor Sack, Richard Taransky, and Chris Vecchio. The exhibition will be on view from November 8 to December 21, with an opening reception on Thursday, November 8, 2007, from 6 to 9 pm. The reception is free and open to the public.
As its title suggests, the show examines the changes and mutations that occur in large, harmonious and well-established systems. Free-floating constructions of Austin Heitzman materialize from the ruins of found materials revealing only circumstantial evidence of previous existence. The materials bear imprints of some violent disjoining procedure followed by equally violent reassembly that seems to follow some clear, but unknowable logic. The resulting constructions appear energetically purposeful, yet dangerously close to a sudden disintegration. Different unknowable logic is evident in finely crafted electrical devices of Chris Veccio. They busily perform mysterious functions, clearly not random, but resisting immediate interpretation. Vecchio pushes the narrative potential of electronic circuitry as the suggestive user interfaces vex any attempts to manipulate these complicated systems.
Paintings and computer animation pieces of Jon Olivieri originate from a wild mix of multiple two-dimensional representations of three-dimensional processes, gleaned from various scientific websites. While these influences snake their way in animation on a screen, the resulting painting has a rococo self-possession of having arrived at an undeniable, but inexplicable conclusion. If paintings of Hollis Heichemer could exist in three dimensions and drip, they would not be any more visceral than they already are. They often seem to relate to some obscure invasive biological facts with serenity and composure difficult to imagine in the situation. It’s a hard-won beauty, surprisingly tranquil in the face of reality. Large, complex and forceful paintings of Rebecca Saylor Sack are not willing to make up their mind whether to go towards landscape or away from it, into the territory of pure paint. Either way, the paintings travel with a lot of conviction, being more interested in their own reality than pedestrian genre designations. Human violence directed to environment is felt in broad brushstrokes; progression and resistance to change remain in conflict through layers of sensuous color.
Precisely constructed architectural models of Richard Taransky suggest a purpose beyond mere habitation. They appear more interested in engaging the outside space than shutting it out. Structures are turned inside out and fractured with the human still visibly “inside” the exterior. The results subvert the acceptable practices of architecture while using its vernacular.
Nine human torsos, by Canadian-based artist Sophie Jodoin, were selected from a much larger series that occupied the artist for more than a year. The powerful humanity of the subjects carries on a tense relationship with the strict format observed throughout the conception of the series. The nine pieces bear the evidence of this tension and its possible impact on the artist.
Curator Alex Kanevsky is a painter who lives and works in Philadelphia. Jenny Jaskey shows the work of emerging and established artists working in a variety of media. Jenny Jaskey is located at Tower Gallery, 969 N. Second Street in Philadelphia, PA. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Friday, 11 am to 6 pm and Saturday, 11 am to 4 pm. For additional information, please contact Jenny Jaskey at 215.543.6029 or visit www.jennyjaskey.com.
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