Continuing through November 28, 2015
The physical space of the gallery undergoes quite a change for its current show “Her First Meteorite” that features seven artists, including Carolle Benitah, James Gallagher, Melinda Gibson, Ken Graves, Stephanie Solinas, Annegret Soltau and Grete Stern. The gallery space has been intelligently reconfigured for the viewing of these intimate works via the suspension of hanging shad-like panels that create a narrow corridor through which the viewer traverses. The panels have strategically placed holes, like those found on construction sites, making it possible to see across and into the middle of the space. The works hung on the wall or placed on a shelf demand to be carefully scrutinized.
If one walks around the white roller blades installed in the middle, one discovers the works of Moroccan artist Benitah, who deals with her semi-forgotten past and the traditional role that was expected of her, which she rebelled against. Her collages are series of black and white snapshots of her family and childhood, taken about 40 years ago, which she has embroidered with a vibrant red thread. In “Le deguisement” a group of pupils are posing in a classroom in front of a blackboard on which something is written in Arabic script. From the pupils’ embroidered faces, long red threads intertwine to a bundle. The image suggests the student’s tension and fear that by receiving education they will forsake there traditions or identity. Soltau, like Benitah, introduces a linear element to her photographic collages. Using black thread she combines fragments from official documents — identity as well as credit cards — onto her own head shots to explore the relationship between bureaucratic and personal identity. Another great image is by German born, Argentina based photographer Grete Stern, titled “Dream 15,” in which a woman dressed in secretary attire is in the act of pulling a huge rock up a hill. Hers was a formal and proto-feminist sensibility akin to avant-garde contemporaries such at Hannah Hock. Also noteworthy is the bizarre body of work by Spanish artist Stefanie Solinas, which show the mysterious connections between twins.
Published Courtesy of ArtSceneCal ©2015
