Call and Response at the Halsey

“Call and Response,” the latest exhibit at the new Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art in downtown Charleston, pairs the work of two American artists: creator Nick Cave and photographer Phyllis Galembo. This will be the first collaboration between these renowned artists, “each of whom explores the contours of West African masquerade through their art,” explains Halsey executive director Mark Sloan.

“‘Call and Response’ offers the central metaphor for this project through the complex expressions of African ritual tradition and interpretations of personal and cultural identities, as photographed by Phyllis Galembo and as seen in the work of African-American artist Nick Cave,” he continues.

Nick Cave creates sculptural works called Soundsuits, which are made up of brightly colored fabrics, elaborate embroidery, beadwork, raffia and other natural materials. With a background in modern dance and fashion, Nick’s first Soundsuit was made of twigs he collected in the park. Interested in merging the two disciplines of textiles and movement, he fashioned the twigs into a costume and realized that they created sound when he wore the suit for the first time. The twig suit was the first of hundreds more that are described as “mesmerizing” and “awe-inspiring.” Some as tall as twenty feet, the Soundsuits are interactive and “full of dialogue, which is really, I think what we all want to do as artists,” Nick says.

“Cave’s Soundsuits are a sculptural convergence of art, fashion, and performance with cultural references, societal issues, and ceremonial costumes. His work challenges accepted notions of art, fashion, material and meaning,” says Mark Sloan.

Phyllis Galembo’s photographic portraits feature masqueraders from the West African countries of Benin, Nigeria, and Burkina Faso. Her large-scale color photographs depict costumes worn by traditional priests and priestesses, dancers and voodoo practitioners. Her subjects pose for the camera, their faces often hidden behind a mask of paint, flowers, sticks or colored fabric. Her images search for relationships between persona and human behavior, between ritual dress and spirituality.

Phyllis says she loves documenting and preserving for future generations cultures that may cease to exist. She sees the exhibit with Nick Cave as an opportunity to reach a broad audience. “It’s an honor to show along side Nick Cave—for the viewer to be able to see traditional and contemporary masquerade costumes and how masquerade is constantly evolving.”

Phyllis is Professor of Photography at the University of Albany, State University of New York, and has traveled and photographed extensively through West Africa.

Call and Response is scheduled for May 27-June 26, and will be the first partnership between the Halsey Institute and Charleston’s internationally renowned Spoleto Festival USA. The combination of the artists’ work will be a celebration of creativity, imagination and cross-cultural communication.


See “Call & Response” at the Halsey Institute for Contemporary Art
College of Charleston
School of the Arts

161 Calhoun Street
May 27-June 26, 2010
843.953.5680
www.halsey.cofc.edu

Vintage Poster Art

Words: Stephanie Jo Chapa

It’s morning in King Street’s Antique District, and one particular denizen of retro advertising is beckoning. It’s the Julia Santen Vintage Poster Gallery—full of attention-grabbing brights and make-you-wonder pop-culture references. As a French major at Davidson, Julia studied abroad in France and returned post-grad to live in Nice (an avant-garde ol’ beach town—déjà vu?). There the gallery owner was exposed to “original posters and the excitement they generated,” she says. Julia maintains the French connection by collecting most materials abroad and even sends treasures across the pond for restoration. She now feels at home on Charleston’s warm coastal walks—where she’s been for nine years.

On first look into the gallery, one spots retro swimsuits, the Moulin Rouge, and movies from ‘Some Like it Hot’ to ‘James Bond’. Jimi Hendrix, the Seattle World’s Fair, and Fellini are also part of the cast of characters. A favorite Art Nouveau piece includes Mucha’s “Four Seasons Chocolat,” c.1896.

Posters were the first form of modern advertising and were posted on buildings and inside rail depots in the late 1800s. Julia explains that “posters are priced and appreciate very much like collectible coins and stamps,” with fluctuations of “rarity, condition, artist, and subject matter.” She backs the prints with linen, acid-free paper and wheat paste, suggesting frames with a layer of plexi-glass to protect the newsprint-style poster paper. Any collector is sure to find that excitement Julia found in France, but the best part? One only need look right down King to find it. Thanks Julia.

Visit www.juliasantengallery.com or make an appointment to visit the 188 King Street gallery by calling 843.534.0758.

Picasso, Christo, & other

MODERN MASTERS

at the Gibbes Museum

Words: Amy Mercer

Art: Picasso & Léger

April 30 - August 22, 2010.

The Gibbes Museum of Art will present the exclusive exhibition “Modern Masters” from the Ferguson Collection in the Main Gallery this spring and summer.

Selected from the private collection of prominent art enthusiasts Esther and James Ferguson, this exhibition includes paintings, sculpture, and works on paper by significant twentieth-century artists such as Pablo Picasso, Willem de Kooning, Paul Gaugin, Fernand Léger and environmental-installation artist, Christo. Cubism, Abstract Expressionism, and Pop Art are among the many movements represented. Esther and James Ferguson have said, “We are delighted to share 25 years of collecting extraordinary art with the Gibbes!”

“We are fortunate to have these remarkable works of art on view throughout the summer. We hope that locals and visitors alike take advantage of sharing in this rare opportunity,” says Angela Mack, Executive Director and Chief Curator.

View these amazing works in person at the Gibbes Museum, 135 Meeting Street, call 843.722.2706, or visit www.gibbesmuseum.org.

Man's Best Friends

Words: Amy Mercer

Prepare yourself to acquire an addition to your family when you enter The Dog & Horse Fine Art & Portraiture gallery on Church Street. There are just as many soulful eyes staring back at you as there are at any local SPCA.

After studying with Sotheby’s in London and working for years as an art consultant in New York City, Jaynie Milligan Spector and her husband moved south and were thrilled to find “such a sophisticated art community.” With her extensive background in art, Jaynie knew Charleston was the perfect place for the Dog & Horse Gallery.

Filled with some of the most renowned dog and horse artists, including natives Lese Corrigan and Marty Whaley Adams, the gallery offers a variety of styles. From the more traditional paintings of Joseph Sulkowski, “one of the best canine artists in the world” to Great Dane bronze sculptor, Louise Peterson. Jaynie sees herself as a “matchmaker for art and the client.” She works with clients to find the best quality artist for their budget. And many of their artists’ jobs come from individual commissions. Isn’t it time Miss Snuggles had her portrait done?

Visit 106 Church Street, www.dogartdealer.com or call 843.577.5500

Contemporary Charleston

Words by: Amy Mercer

Art [left to right]: Kat Hastie, Hirona Matsuda, Jocelyn Chateauvert

May 20 - July 3, 2010

The City of Charleston Office of Cultural Affairs presents “Contemporary Charleston 2010,” a Piccolo Spoleto exhibit at the City Gallery at Waterfront Park. Curated by gallery coordinator Erin Glaze and artist, Max Miller, the exhibit will run from May 20-July 3. Ten local visual artists have been randomly paired with ten local poets to create works for the exhibit. Inspired by the language, themes, or rhythms found within a particular poem or a group of poems, “each visual artist can expand their philosophy and process for their work.”

Some of the pairings include artist Timothy Pakron and College of Charleston Poetry Professor, Carol Ann Davis. Timothy writes, “My experience of using a poem for inspiration was very natural for me. Since I am an artist, visualizing things is what I do. When I see certain words or phrases, an image instantly pops into my head. While reading Carol Ann’s poems, images came to me immediately.”

Curator Erin Glaze says she and Max were “inspired by Charleston’s increasingly contemporary arts community and the idea of crossing the paths of two artistic disciplines. All of the visual artists in this exhibit have a narrative element to their work, some more literal than others. For example, Julio Cotto and Benjamin Hollingsworth use words throughout some of their paintings. While Jocelyn Chateauvert and Lynne Riding’s work is more abstract it still contains a poetic quality.” Erin explains that part of the mission of the gallery is to lend exposure to local and nationally recognized artists.

The exhibit will also feature a video documentary by Austin Nelson that reveals the unfolding of the artistic process, from the research to the completed pieces. Artists will give individual lectures about their works throughout the month of June.

View the exhibit at the Office of Cultural Affairs’ City Gallery at the Waterfront,
34 Prioleau Street, 843.958.6484, www.charlestonarts.sc

Magical Worlds

Words by: Amy Mercer

Santiago Pérez is a painter of colorful and dramatic images in the Surrealist-fantasy, Hispanic, Western landscape, and Cowboy genres. His paintings are populated with humorous and grotesque characters, perhaps avatars or alter egos, or maybe an escapee from a children’s storybook. The end result is an image with aspects of fantasy, magical realism, and surrealism.

Santiago lives near the small community of Tijeras, New Mexico. Born in San Antonio, Texas in 1950, he grew up in many small towns around the south Texas area, mostly on farms and ranches where his father worked. Encouraged by his family and an artist uncle, Santiago learned to draw early on in life, copying the antics of 1950’s TV cartoon characters by Hanna Barbera, Disney, Loony Tunes, Popeye, and the Sunday Comics.

“My artwork is about what people believe and the stories that support those beliefs. I am interested in different religions, popular and media culture, literature, the sciences, especially psychology, and art history. From these many sources, I derive stories that I paint in the form of Pop fairy tales.”

Santiago’s work gives a voice to his mixed heritage. “As an American Mexican, I embody the confluence and clash of two cultural heritages.”

Juan Kelly’s paintings challenge our perceptions of reality. Animals acting like humans coexist in an exotic, surreal world with its own laws and logic. In “Dolcezza,” domesticated lions enjoying ice cream cones offer a slice of watermelon to a gentle cow, against a backdrop of the open sea.

Born and raised in Costa Rica, Juan began painting when he was a child. Drawn to realism, for much of his career he painted realistic Dutch-master still lifes. When his interest in realism began to wane and he became bored with ordinary subject matter, Juan sought out the unreal, trading reality for magic.

Metaphors and archetypes illustrate our subconscious desires. Lions stare calmly at whimsical alligators as they lounge in a boat filled with flowers, and many other such scenarios. “These humorous, playful qualities are meant to stimulate the imagination, and make us question our assumptions. The images represent the human struggle for change, the desire to be something other than ourselves,” explains the artist.

The paintings of Santiago Perez and Juan Kelly share a rich playfulness of colorful stories that bring are reminiscent of childhood and the pleasure of using imagination more freely. Yet, these evocative paintings draw the viewer closer to examine and question the stories beyond the images.

Shows of their works are planned for fall 2010 at the Mary Martin Gallery of Fine Art, 39 Broad Street, 843.723.0303, www.marymartinart.com.

Charleston Art Tours

Words: Amy Mercer

What better way is there to see some of Charleston’s most renowned galleries than to stroll the city with an experienced artist as your guide? Charleston Art Tours offers an intimate, two-hour exploration of emerging and recognized artists from an insider’s point of view.

Local artists, Martha Sharp and Karen Hagan, designed Charleston Art Tours to share their knowledge with visitors and locals alike about “the fascinating lives of the artists behind the artworks—their sunlit studios, passions, influences, and training.”

On The Fine Art Gallery Tour, guides will lead a small group of visitors through 6 to 8 galleries at an unhurried pace to create a unique and memorable art experience.

The Charleston Renaissance Tour takes visitors through the Gibbes Museum to see the artists from the early 1900’s to several of today’s ‘living masters.’ Guides will then take guests out of the museum, and into the historic French Quarter to the galleries that represent these living masters.

Complimentary champagne, sparkling water and chocolates conclude the tours.

Charleston Art Tours also offers customized tours, painting instruction and demonstrations. All levels of ability are encouraged to take advantage of this unique opportunity to work closely and learn from a professional artist.

Whether you are a collector, an observer, or a student, Charleston Art Tours will satisfy all appetites.

For more info or to book a tour, visist www.charlestonarttours.com or call 843.860.3327.

Artist Profile: Bill Mead

SCOOP studios
57 1/2 Broad Street
843.577.3292
www.scoopcontemporary.com

Bill Mead became a professional painter at a friend’s fruit stand five years ago. While babysitting the vegetables, he painted a sign. “Watermelon $3,” with a sky above and landscape below. It was his first sale for $10. He started painting okra, corn, and tomatoes on plywood with any old paint, and the sales continued. So he started focusing by at least “using regular paint and plywood without termites in it,” he laughs. “The best things in life happen inadvertently,” Bill states after recounting the exact date and moment he happily quit his day job.

Bill has been in the Lowcountry for 20 years, and self proclaims that he has “memorized the local colors.” His works are mostly Lowcountry landscapes of marshes and flat lands, complete with massive fruits and vegetables. Why the produce, and why so large? Inspired by French surrealist René Magritte and the primary colors, Bill simply likes the light-hearted style of his paintings and describes them as “a place where one can rest.” He paints ‘from the shoulder,’ in a hurry, before the mind gets in the way. “The paint does the work, I just have to be there,” he laughs.

Bill plans to maintain his landscape-surrealism combo style, perhaps venturing into using animals as subject matter. He knows nothing stays the same and wants to continue to grow. “I’ve been slowing down, and can still achieve the same effect,” he says of his good fortune.

He’s currently working on a commission that involves an alligator and boiled peanuts! What will this creative mind come up with next? “We like him here,” states SCOOP studios co-owner Colleen Deihl.

The Process: Ben Timpson

Words: Amy Mercer

Ben Timpson goes hunting for butterflies. The last one he found was in front of a local art supply store and dazzled with specs of silver on its wings like a diamond. He fills his pockets with found objects: pieces of plastic, feathers, and crickets. “I always keep one eye open.”

Home in his studio, Ben preserves the organic materials: flowers, bugs and plants in mason jars. Understanding that nothing lasts forever, this artist finds inspiration in the continually evolving world outside his door. “I want to show the world there is an infinite universe in everything around us.”

Leaning over his light table with a tweezer or a small knife, Ben sculpts a dress out of an orchid, plucking an arm off a dragonfly so his miniature musician can pluck at the keys of her snakeskin piano in “The Piano.” Plastic bags or tissue are used to add color, while soy sauce and honey become beautiful when dried.

The small originals function as a slide, which are then projected and blown up into large prints, some as large as 8 feet wide. Certain pieces are more labor intensive. “The Owl,” created from a fish head and rose petals, took three years to complete, while others can be made in an afternoon.
With over 1,000 originals, the collection continues to grow. Flipping through pages of two books he designed and edited, Ben stops to pause and point out a butterfly wing or cricket leg on “Mirabella” or “Sophia.” “I name them all,” he smiles. The process of transforming a name associated with repulsion or disgust into something beautiful is important to the work. “I want to destroy scale and names.”

With one eye open, Ben continues to tap into a microscopic slice of the world, and transform something ugly into an object of beauty. “The possibilities are endless,” he says.

View his work at SCOOP studios, 57 1/2 Broad Street, 843.577.3292, www.scoopcontemporary.com.

The Process: Karen Silvestro

Words: Olivia Pool

Most of Karen Silvestro’s paintings are like riddles—full of clever clues and hidden meanings.

“I’m attracted to symbolism, surrealism, and storytelling,” she says. Her process is a meticulous, intellectual one, and as she says, “The idea stage is the longest part of the process.” Karen has over a decade of journals filled with ideas, words, or key phrases and sketches. Interesting words like “tree hugger,” “violin case,” “smoke signals,” and “crash dummies” are eventually morphed into sketches, then paintings.

Her sketchbooks are filled with little squares of thumbnail sketches, lists of words, and spreadsheets of the five W’s (who, what, where, when and why). As things inspire her, she’ll fill the spreadsheet up with interesting responses to each of the 5 W’s, and when she’s not feeling inspired, she’ll randomly pick one thing from each column and come up with a sketch that combines them all.

Once she’s gone through the process of coming up with the words and overall theme (usually with an underlying meaning), she is ready to start a larger sketch. Karen will find a model to simulate the entire scenario so that she gets things just right—where the lights and shadows are, how the subject fits in with the background, etc. Mind you, these are not easy scenarios either—they are often strange combinations of clues, making this enactment even more difficult. She has gone as far as having a model ride an actual horse with just her underwear on for her “Taken for a Ride” painting, and has had a model hold ashtrays with burning Duraflames in his hands to get the right effect for “Inside Out.”

It’s almost as if she has to put herself in some of these situations so that she can relay the experience in just the correct way. With all the groundwork done and information gathered, she heads to the canvas where she begins to construct the main focus of the painting and decide how the viewer’s eye will move through the painting. “I keep a running tab of concerns—whether I need more light or contrast, etc.” Before the painting is complete, it has to pass “Roger’s Top Ten,” a former teacher’s check-list that serves as her final edit. The list reminds Karen to look for “variety of sizes and shapes,” “interesting silhouettes,” and the like.

“I’m not afraid to take a stand,” she smiles. An example of her strong voice can be seen in her paintings “Closed” and “Open” which were part of the recent Black vs. White show at the Robert Lange Studios. In “Closed,” a Muslim woman is dressed in black and hangs like a puppet, while “Open” reveals a naked Barbie doll version of stereotyped over-indulgent American woman. The paintings symbolize public judgments of appearance and beauty, and of course, opposing cultural points of view.

Karen is currently working on her first major solo show called “Paperdoll” which will take place in early fall 2010. This inspiring, yet tongue-in-cheek, body of work will focus on the theme of gender stereotypes and relationship dynamics. Always pushing the envelope, Karen says, “I want to take my viewers out of their comfort zone. I want them to think outside the box.”

View her work online at www.karensilvestro.com or call 843.771.4531 for a studio appointment.