EXHIBITION DETAILS
Wonderous Indeed
February 2014
Exhibiting artists include: Allyson Anne Lamb, Tami Bahat, Celine Bardou, Clare Benson, Brenda Biondo, Meghan Boilard, Ricardo Bouyett, Michael Butler, Mike Enright, Dimitra Ermeidou, Mingshan Fan, Paul Greenberg, Jess Hardcastle, Melissa Hogan, David Howe, Thomas Jackson, Kate Jones, John Lewis, Michael Loderstedt, Melissa Lynn, Toby MacLennan, Lilliana Marie, Yvette Meltzer, Logan Mock-Bunting, Enrique Munoz-Garcia, Tamy Novak, Jenny Papalexandris, Lori Pond, Jessica Rech, Randhy Rodriguez, Jacinda Russell, Leah Schretenthaler, Harriet Stein, Gordon Stettinius, Alison Turner, Benita VanWinkle and Kelsey Wagner.
STATEMENT
The tricky thing about being wondrous is how to be wondrous effortlessly. If one sets out to be strange, then the work will announce to the world, much like a surly teen, 'hey! I’m being strange!' The other part of being wondrous is being original. Much like baby photos, the very idea of what 'odd' is supposed to be is crammed with cliché. The shorthand for bizarre has so much gravitational pull, that it's very hard to resist. I know, because I think about this all the time. In fact, I obsess about the NEW constantly, sort of like Woody Allen, but without the fame or money.
Ultimately, it boils down to this: Are you saying something new? And often, (and I speak for myself here too) I find it's easy to persuade ourselves that we are indeed, saying something new, when we're not at all. When we're repeating what's come before, but just with a different filter on the lens.
There was a great deal of interesting images to look at, when I was judging. But, there were also a great deal of images I felt I’d seen before, or things that almost were great, but the artist hadn't dared to go far enough. There's another piece of unsolicited advice: Often, I find, I think I’ve traveled far, into new territory. Then, I’ll look behind me, and I’ve only just left the house.
To the selected artists: well done! You surprised me. That's one of the best things that art can do, is be surprising. If it's REALLY good, it should elicit just a tiny bit of jealousy...
It was a pleasure to judge the show. To see the interpretation of wondrous, to see how far people went. Thank you all for sharing your work with me.
Phil Toledano
