Whitespace Gallery

Curator and whitespace artist, John Otte's current show in New Orleans is called "the most thoughtfully curated show of video art in the city's history"

2012-01-27T13:28:00.010-05:00

Check out the article by Wesley Stokes of Pelican Bomb.

"Constant Abrasive Irritation Produces the Pearl: A Disease of the Oyster" runs through January 29 in New Orleans

John Otte was also interviewed by Burnaway in this video, Prospect2, which is about Prospect New Orleans, one of the leading biennials of international contemporary art in the United States.

Keeping up with Wendy Given

2012-01-26T17:54:00.001-05:00

Wendy Given has been busy since her last show at whitespace a year ago. She is one of 30 artists chosen from a pool of 179 for the 10th Northwest Biennial that is running now through May 20, 2012. Held at the Tacoma Art Museum in Portland, the exhibition not only commemorates the tenth anniversary of the show but also the 75th anniversary of the museum. All of the artists represent the Pacific Northwest, and their respective works touch on the identities of the inhabitants and the practices of the region.

Installation image of Wendy Given's work at the 10th Northwest Biennial

For more information, please visit the Tacoma Art Museum website.

Wendy also has an upcoming solo photography show, Luminosis mori, in February 2012 at the Nationale in Portland.

Check Out Burnaway's Article Featuring Whitespace Artist, Craig Dongoski:

2012-01-20T17:14:00.003-05:00

Craig Dongoski's show at whitespace, "Attack/Decay/Sustain/Release," made Burnaway's top Atlanta events of 2011!

Our Favorite Things: Remembering Atlanta Arts 2011

Craig also has work on display in Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport's departures atrium. The show is up through February 1, 2012, so you still have time to see it!

Joey Orr of ArtsCriticATL.com reviews Benita Carr's "Morning Sun" running at whitespace through February 18, 2012

2012-01-20T16:28:00.000-05:00

Review: Photos and videos in Benita Carr’s “Morning Sun,” at Whitespace, explore darker side of motherhood

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By Joey Orr | Jan 18, 2012

In a time when an exalted concept of motherhood is exploited as a political wedge, Benita Carr’s exploration of the maternal experience in “Morning Sun,” at Whitespace gallery through February 18, walks a razor’s edge between internal and external, mythic and quotidian, love and abjection.

Benita Carr: "Morning Sun #410"

Carr’s photographs and videos confront desire and sexuality as undercurrents in mother-child relations. There are many debates about the emergence of sexuality, but most agree that it is connected at some point with both the early satisfaction of drives (nourishment, elimination) and the infant’s relations with the primary caregiver. Witness Carr’s “Morning Sun #410,” in which a woman wearing stockings, cowboy boots and silky black lingerie is summoned by a male child just out of frame by the evocative pull of the robe’s tie.
These early relationships are often wrapped up in the messiness of bodily care and the establishment of new personalities, but their representations can seem saturated with the heaviness of survival and fantasy. One of Carr’s narrative series begins with a photograph (below) depicting a room whose walls display a couple of jungle animal murals and are also childhood-beleaguered. A close look reveals nicks, stains and sticker remnants, from images of Batman to words like “Wonder Power” and “terror.” The shadow of a boy in a superhero costume looms menacingly over the scene, in which his mother’s body lies sprawled across the stripped bed.

In the second photograph, the shadow reads like an explorer perched on high ground, though in reality the son, dressed as the Flash, is atop his mother’s body, whose head is lowered in a supplicating manner. In the final photo, the mother sits alone on the son’s bed, neither triumphant nor really defeated: she has survived the play attack, two words that fit nicely together in this exhibit.
Indeed, the most successful aspect of this new work is its ability to embrace ambiguity in a realm that our culture manically guards as sublime, to represent ugliness and the struggle of motherhood without reducing its complexities or erasing its conflicting realities. Carr captures dominance and abjection without denying her subjects their self-possession, even when evidence of this is as slight as a gaze in a mirror.
The fantastic scenes that evoke such strong and well-known cultural tropes are a blend of careful construction and generous relation with her subjects. While some of the shots are theatrically directed, their contexts and meanings read as very believable. Students of art history will notice visual references to Bernini’s “The Ecstacy of St. Teresa” and Duchamp’s “Étant Donnés,” among others. The most overt reference is to Dorothea Lange’s “Migrant Mother,” in “Morning Sun #1524.”
Its video companion, “Day is done, gone the sun,” co-produced with Bill Orisich, presents an interesting up-tilted view of a day in the life of a mother and her two children. Its strength lies in its ability to encompass the intimacy of singing in a sun-touched living room and the mundaneness of breast feeding in a laundry-riddled carport, as well as the anger of a child who feels ignored when the mother plays her cello.

Benita Carr: "Morning Sun #1524"

During this tantrum, the little girl yells at her mother about excrement somewhere that needs cleaning up — yet another example of how deftly Carr incorporates psychoanalytic themes into the unglamorous, everyday details of motherhood. The girl screams “Clean it up!” but then also thoughtfully adds “Mama,” playing out her vacillating needs to both destroy the bad mother who ignores her and to restore the one she loves. At times, Carr guides the viewer to compare how the woman handles her daughter with the attention she pays to tuning her cello, underscoring the paradox inherent in relationships that require such deep sacrifice and connection.
The love and hate in “Morning Sun” brings to mind Mignon Nixon’s work in the mid-1990s, especially her essay “Bad Enough Mother,” in which Nixon posits that the work of many female artists is now operating in a paradigm outside the psychoanalytic theories of Sigmund Freud and Jacques Lacan. Her work opened the door to new psychoanalytic interpretations of artwork that did not always reduce it to patriarchal power structures.
It has been said that the lullaby “Rock-a-bye Baby,” which wraps a mother’s hate (“the cradle will fall”) into a socially acceptable song, enables her to express her frustrations and feelings of being compromised within the caring acts essential to child rearing. Carr’s visual narratives are not so different, eliciting the darker moments of motherhood within a well-constructed visual practice.

Sarah Emerson and Jody Fausett in "Day Job: Georgia" at the Contemporary

2012-01-18T12:49:00.000-05:00

Sarah Emerson and Jody Fausett are currently part of the "Day Job: Georgia" exhibition at the Contemporary, which is up now through March 24, 2012.

Sarah Emerson and her daughter, Harlow Cregar, have a site-specific installation and mural. Be on the look out for Sarah's upcoming solo show at whitespace, which opens Thursday, April 5, 2012 at 7 PM.


Sarah Emerson and daughter Harlow Cregar at "Day Job: Georgia."

Photograph courtesy of BurnAway Flikr photostream

Jody Fausett, who had his solo exhibition at whitespace this past November, selected several of his new photographs for the Contemporary's show.


Jody Fausett's work at "Day Job: Georgia"

Photograph courtesy of BurnAway Flikr photostream

For additional information about "Day Job: Georgia," please visit the Atlanta Contemporary Art Center website.

BurnAway has posted several pictures of the exhibition and opening reception on its Flickr photostream.

"Morning Sun" by Benita Carr opens TONIGHT

2012-01-13T16:35:00.000-05:00

Morning Sun

photography and video installation by

Benita Carr

Morning Sun is an evolution in Benita Carr's work that explores the mother/child relationship and the meaning of self within the domestic social structure of home and family. Constructed as narrative tableaus, the photographs depict women and their children in scenes that evoke emotions of desire, doubt and anxiety.

Carr's photographs and videos are informed by the ways in which womanhood and motherhood have been seen, understood and lived across time, especially their representation in art, religion, advertising and family pictures. These themes coupled with the style and symbolism of Mid-Victorian images of interiors and feminine subjects inspire her body of work. Moving into video and sound challenges the form of traditional portraiture and allows other layers of meaning and complexity to surface.

The title of the series Morning Sun is a play on words and lends itself to various interpretations. While reminiscent of the overly sentimental language inherent in greeting cards, other connotations invoke feelings of loss and despair.

Carr is the recipient of many awards and grants including a 2002 Artist in Communities Initiative Grant that consisted of a collaboration on a photographic installation with women who had suffered severe spinal cord injuries and the Joyce Elaine Grant Award from Texas Women's University in 2004. She exhibited the Infinity Project, a symbolic commentary on the endless cycles of violence created with her husband artist Evan Levy, at the Tate Modern in 2007. Her photographs were also included in the Atlanta Contemporary Art Center 2005 Biennial, the Huntsville Museum of Art 2005 Triennial and in 2009 at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery. Her work is part of the permanent collection of The Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia.

Exhibition dates: January 13 - February 18, 2012

Opening reception: Friday, January 13 | 7-10 pm

Gallery hours: Wednesday - Saturday | 11 am - 5 pm or by appointment

Location: 814 Edgewood Avenue | Inman Park

Media Contact: Susan Bridges

www.whitespace814.com

susan@whitespace814.com

p 404.688.1892

c 404.849.8176

TONIGHT: "December Show 2011"

2011-12-10T13:04:00.000-05:00

survey of works from whitespace artists
+
for-ever-green eco-friendly tree and wreath lot

Happy Holidays from all of us at whitespace gallery!
Featuring "Light Symphony" For-Ever-Green tree by Jose Dario Gallo

December 10 - December 31, 2011
Opening Reception: Saturday, December 10 | 7 PM - 10 PM

Join us tonight for The December Show, whitespace gallery's final show of 2011! It is a survey of works shown over the course of the year and additional pieces by select gallery artists. Featured artists include Meg Aubrey, Laura Bell, Craig Dongoski, Sarah Emerson, Jody Fausett, Matt Haffner, Wendy Given, Ann-Marie Manker, David Mitchell, Adrienne Outlaw, Suellen Parker, An Pham, Seana Reilly, Michele Schuff, Whitney Stansell, Ann Stewart, and Tommy Taylor.

The For-Ever-Green Eco-Friendly Tree Lot features sustainable, reusable trees and wreaths, each created by artists re-interpreting the traditional Christmas tree and wreath. They are displayed in the whitespace courtyard, and they are available as part of a cash-and-carry outdoor lot for visitors to take home and use in place of a traditional tree or wreath!

The team behind gray_matter(s) will also participate by developing a site-specific installation in whitespec that coincides with the outdoor lot and includes a series of experiments in turning a whitespec gray. The transformations embrace an inclusive and plastic understanding of perception. Through processes of analogy, layering, and gradation, different media are brought into dialogue, the space becomes a hidden dimension of variation. Difference becomes a relative term, understood through observed realities rather than representations or ideals. In a field of endless subtlety, we find ourselves lost in our own perceptions.

In addition to the gallery shows and For-Ever-Green lot, the opening reception features delicious treats from the Good Food Truck and general mischief from Bad Santa and his elves!

whitespace | 814 Edgewood Ave | Atlanta, GA 30307 | 404.688.1892

i45 and ACP present a night of award winning videos Saturday, October 29th

2011-10-27T12:37:00.000-04:00

Monica Cook, still from Deuce, stop motion film

Exhibition date: October 29, 2011 | 6:30 - 8:30 PM

Location: Grant Park | ACP's "Volley" exhibition

Whitespace, as an i45 member gallery, and Atlanta Celebrates Photography are pleased to present videos from the Guggenheim's recent YouTube Play project. The screening will take place October 29, 2011 from 6:30 - 8:30 PM in Grant Park as part of ACP's Public Art Project, "Volley" a sound-activated, interactive animation by Monica Cook.

YouTube Play is a collaboration between YouTube and the Guggenheim Museum. The inaugural biennial, held in October 2010 at the Guggenheim in New York, showcased the most remarkable online videos from around the world. It included videos from Germany, Australia, Canada, the UK, Brazil, Netherlands, South Africa and the U.S. The Guggenheim curators selected the short list of videos from over 23,300 submissions.

I45 is a collective of Atlanta galleries in Inman Park (i), the Old Fourth Ward (4) and Little Five Points (5) working together to promote this community's rich, creative identity. Through shared events and common interests, i45 seeks wider visibility for artists and the vibrant arts community.

For more information about i45, recent projects and member galleries, please visit the following links:

Convergent Frequencies    http://www.burnaway.org/2010/09/convergent-frequencies-highlights-urban-geography-this-weekend

Skies Over Atlanta    http://www.burnaway.org/2010/04/4-secrets-to-be-revealed-this-saturday-and-sunday-at-850-euclid

i45 Blog    http://i45art.wordpress.com

For more information about "Volley" by Monica Cook or about ACP, please visit the following links:

"Volley"    http://festivalguide.acpinfo.org/listings/view/909

Atlanta Celebrates Photography    http://www.ACPinfo.org

ACP's blog "ACP Now!"    http://www.acpinfo.org/blog

Artist Talk with Matt Haffner Tonight

2011-10-13T15:18:00.001-04:00

Exhibition: September 9 - October 15, 2011

Artist Talk: Thursday, October 13 | 6:30 PM

Join us for an artist talk with Matt Haffner tonight at 6:30 PM. He will discuss his current exhibition at whitespace, "Just Across the Tracks." The show consists of a series of photograph portraits, sound recordings, collage works on paper, and a rotating diorama viewed through a camera obscura. All of the pieces depict life in the space between the city and the suburbs with references to Haffner's personal experiences.

Matt Haffner currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia with his family. In addition to working on his art, Haffner is an Assistant Professor of Photography in the art department at Kennesaw State University. He was originally drawn to street art, since he enjoyed the danger, the giddiness of getting away with something, and the ability to create work on a large scale. He has since moved away from street art, but he still uses wheat paste, markers, vinyls, stencils and other street art tools for his current work. Haffner has exhibited his art both regionally and nationally.

"The Beauty & the Beast" spoken word performance tonight at whitespace gallery

2011-10-06T16:32:00.001-04:00

Thursday, October 6, 2011 | 7:30 PM

Whitespace is pleased to present The Beauty & the Beast, a one-night only spoken word performance by Tasha Jones and Tommy Bottoms. Touching on topics ranging from drug use to politics, Tasha and Tommy provide a fast-paced entertaining, and often humorous take on modern society and the gritty urban environment.

Both Tasha and Tommy are highly acclaimed spoken word artists who tour the United States and the college circuit with their shows. Tommy Bottoms is a two-time HBO Def Poet, BET Lyric Café All Star. He has also had two national appearances on the Black Family Channel and performed at the Royal Stratford Theater in London, England. Tasha Jones is an Indiana Poet Laureate runner-up and two-time Essence Festival Featured Poet. In addition to performing, Tasha developed educational materials aimed at ending illiteracy and guides for Magic Johnson and other HIV/AIDS activists educating the public about the disease.

Matt Haffner's "Just Across the Tracks" opens tonight at whitespace

2011-09-09T13:32:00.002-04:00

Matt Haffner, Talking to Strangers, silver gelatin prints (contact prints), installation dimensions variable

September 9 - October 15, 2011

Opening Reception: Friday, September 9 | 7 PM - 10 PM

Whitespace is pleased to present Just Across the Tracks, Matt Haffner's first solo show at whitespace gallery. The exhibition consists of a series of photograph portraits, sound recordings, collage works on paper, and a rotating diorama viewed through a camera obscura. All of the pieces depict life in the space between the city and the suburbs with references to Haffner's personal experiences.

Talking to strangers is the central theme for the collage of portraits covering an entire wall in whitespace gallery. Haffner sought out his subjects in the streets of Atlanta, engaging with the people around him instead of ignoring those passing by as they made their way through the city. He used an older style camera with large film that took a few minutes to make an image. This afforded him the opportunity to start brief exchanges with these individuals while photographing them. This engagement sometimes opened people up to a conversation and to sharing surprising things about themselves. While taking the portraits, Haffner also made sound recordings that play within the gallery. Hearing the stories that his subjects shared and seeing this huge wall of portraits makes one look for the face that told the story. Haffner considers this the most honest work he has made to date.

Sarah Emerson at ELEVATE | Art Above Underground

2011-08-18T14:29:00.005-04:00

August 26 - October 30, 2011

Downtown Atlanta

Opening reception: Friday, August 26 | 5 - 10 PM

Whitespace is pleased to announce Sarah Emerson's participation in Atlanta's ELEVATE | Art Above Underground! This sixty-six day long public art exhibition features both art installations and performances from a variety of local, national, and international artists. The project is the result of a collaboration between the City of Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs Public Art Program and Underground Atlanta, and it is meant to bring attention to both the downtown Atlanta area and the city's art community. Emerson's piece, "Zero Mile," is a vinyl window installation in the heart of downtown. Named after the sign marking the city limit, the piece shows the imagined imagery of post-Civil War Atlanta. The piece is illuminated at night, but it is also visible during the day.

ELEVATE officially opens Friday, August 26, 2011 at 5 PM along the Upper Alabama Street Corridor and surrounding areas in central downtown Atlanta.

Make sure you see Sarah's piece near the capitol before ELEVATE ends October 30th!

For more information, visit http://elevateatlanta.blogspot.com.


A view of Sarah Emerson's mural in downtown Atlanta during the day.

A view of Sarah Emerson's ELEVATE | Art Above Underground piece lit up at night.

whitespace presents "Perpetual Assembly"

2011-08-05T13:10:00.000-04:00

Perpetual Assembly
works by

Seana Reilly
Ann Stewart
Students from the Auburn University architectural program

August 5 - September 3, 2011

Opening Reception: Friday, August 5th | 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM

Whitepsace is pleased to present Perpetual Assembly, which includes exhibitions in both the whitespace main gallery and whitespec. The two exhibitions that each take a focused, process-oriented approach to exploring perception. Architectonic arrangements of line are found throughout the show and ask the viewer to consider his or her relationship to the physical world.

Whitespace gallery houses works by Ann Stewart and Seana Reilly. These two artists are questioning what we know and how we know we know it. The artists share a fascination with cognitive systems, and they explore the nature of existence and knowledge through the medium of graphite.


Seana Reilly, "ResolvingKazimir," graphite on dibond, 48 x 48 inches

Ann Stewart, Detail of "Perpetual Assembly II," graphite on paper, 60 x 66 inches

Whitespec shows a series of stop-motion short films created by freshman architecture students from Auburn University's Foundation Studio. The films fall into one of two categories: the first deals with movement of the human body through space over time, and the second uses popular music to explore visual communication through text and letter forms. Both are fascinating studies of architecture as an accumulation of small pieces into a greater whole, as well as a glimpse into how architects can document and represent their ideas via film.

Auburn University Architectural Students, still from "Beautiful Day" stop motion film

"Metronome" | Not Your Ordinary Opening

2011-06-22T15:09:00.001-04:00

Perhaps it was the conversation about time's existential implications or about our city's burgeoning food truck culture or about what in the world was dotting the floor of the gallery, the opening reception of Metronome at whitespace gallery was certainly abuzz with excitement. Featuring artist Michele Schuff's series of encaustic paintings (please see previous entry for more detail), guests were introduced to her most recent works using three-dimensional cast forms. Schuff captures the invisible process of time through the use of repetitive heat-fused brush strokes and forms, suggesting the metronome as a metaphor for the meditative beat of life's fleeting moments.

Artist Michele Schuff in front of her piece Big Blue.

A visitor studies Michele Schuff's encaustic works.

In support, alliance, and promotion of Atlanta's food truck community, whitespace's reception for Metronome also welcomed King of Pops, Rattletrap Coffee Truck, and Sugar Coated Radical (SCR). King of Pops came through to cool us down with his specialty pops while Rattletrap kicked it up a notch with some icey caffeinated goodness (and refreshing home made lemonade). The radicals of SCR set up their mobile candy shop to deliver an array of revolutionary sweets, not to mention plenty of sugar coated samples.

Visitors using the QR code to find more information about Michele Schuff and her work.

Metronome is the also the first show to launch the use of Quick Response (QR) codes in the gallery. QR codes have been installed throughout the gallery, enabling viewers to access exclusive artist related content on their mobile devices. Metronome's codes feature unreleased photo sets of Michele's works in various states of creation. Laid on foam core, the codes can be found slightly raised off the floor near pieces: 48squares, Big Blue, Oushak, and Reprise. Additional information on QR codes can be found at the gallery's front desk. Come by and check it out for yourself!

Open until: Saturday, June 23rd

"Metronome" by Michele Schuff at whitespace

2011-06-08T17:38:00.001-04:00

Michele Schuff, "Don't Go," Encaustic on panel, 48 x 60 x 4.5"

In Michele Schuff's exhibition, Metronome, she explores the perception of time and how we measure life's passing. How long do I have to live? How has my timing influenced every turn of my life? Will I be able to do what I need to before I die?

Michele uses the metronome, a tool traditionally used to set a fixed tempo while practicing music, as a metaphor for keeping time as well as a meditative device; with it one can set a beat or pulse that can become increasingly abstract and therefore has the potential to exist outside of our perception of linear time. This body of work examines the space that is created when one is fully focused on any creative endeavor: where does that state of mind exist? Time can be momentarily suspended in the gap between the beats; collectively these beats and gaps make up a body of work, a life, a collection of lives.

Metronome features a series of encaustic paintings on wood panel created by layer over layer of repetitive brush strokes fused together with heat. The repeated painted lines/phrases/objects are meant to create a textured 'beat' and somehow through their pattern and regularity, generate an abstract field of color and sound.

Michele Schuff received her BFA from Wayne State University in Detroit and her MFA from Georgia State University. She is a former Fellow of the Hambidge Center of Creative Arts and Sciences, and the Virginia Center for Creative Arts. Schuff's work explores themes of light through encaustic painting and three-dimensional cast forms.

Exhibition dates:            June 10 - July 23, 2011

Opening reception:        Friday, June 10 | 7-10 pm

Gallery hours:               Wednesday - Saturday | 11 am - 5 pm or by appointment

Location:                       814 Edgewood Avenue | Inman Park

Media Contact:             Susan Bridges
                                     www.whitespace814.com
                                     susan@whitespace814.com
                                     p 404.688.1892
                                     c 404.849.8176

"Witch's Brew" by Adrienne Outlaw

2011-04-21T13:38:00.001-04:00

April 21 - June 4, 2011

Opening Reception: Thursday, April 21 | 7 - 10 pm

Details from the Fecund Series, Mixed Media

Whitespace is pleased to present "Witch's Brew" featuring the sculptural and video works of Adrienne Outlaw. Outlaw's interactive exhibition "Witch's Brew" sheds light on ethical issues created by the rapid advancement of biotechnology and in particular, the rising trend of DIYers growing biological experiments at home. The Fecund Series speaks to the human desire for progress and the possibility of Frankensteinian horrors. She explores the often contentious debate about science, nature and religion and how that impacts the bioethical dialogue. Working with cutting edge scientists, Outlaw selects videos showing the latest advancements in the field of biophysics and makes her own movies of intimate maternal scenes. She places the videos and objects in anthropomorphic specimen cases so that they can be seen but not touched. Some works are fun, elegant and beautiful; others are marred by the recombination process. Viewers become participants in the work when they peer inside a piece and see their reflection.

Adrienne Outlaw shows in museums, public art collections and exhibitions worldwide. She has shown in twelve museum exhibits including two solos shows. A dozen exhibition catalogs and two art books feature her work. She holds an MLAS from Vanderbilt University and a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

New Works by Craig Dongoski

2011-03-04T19:41:00.000-05:00

Whitespace is pleased to present new works by Craig Dongoski in his current gallery exhibition Attack/Decay/Sustain/Release. For this solo exhibition, Dongoski created drawings over-drawings on a variety of substrates including, wood, paper, and printed materials. He also features works derived from his signatures that he used to produce “graphic scores” or non-conventional musical notation. In conjunction with the artwork, Attack/Decay/Sustain/Release features artifacts and ephemera from these processes, along with a video and a sound installation.

Attack/Decay/Sustain/Release, Mixed Media

Craig Dongoski received a BFA from Milliken University and an MFA from the University of South Dakota. He has shown his work across the United States and internationally. Currently, Dongoski resides in Atlanta where he serves as an Associate Professor of Art at Georgia State University.

Exhibition: March 4 - April 16, 2011
Opening Reception: Friday, March 4 | 7 - 10 pm

Gallery Hours | Wed - Sat | 11 am - 5 pm

Snapshots From the Opening, " Turn Your Back to the Forest, Your Front to Me"

2011-02-17T16:05:00.001-05:00

Wendy Given’s exhibition, Turn Your Back to the Forest, Your Front to Me, opened to rave reviews in January despite the icy weather. We had a packed house and a great time. In case you could not make it for the opening reception, we have included some images from the event below. There is still time to see the show, but Given's exhibition is only up for two more weeks. The last day is Saturday, February 26.

Both Burnaway and ArtsCriticATL posted glowing reviews of Given’s works, which explain why this exhibition is a must-see!

Gallery visitor takes a closer peek at the sleeping sparrow in Given's, "Cubiculum".

Wendy Given's photograph, "Wake," has caught the attention of a visitor.


A whitespace intern and "Of Augur and Auspice: No.5 (From Under the Pillow)".

Gallery visitors discuss the composition of "By the Boat of Charon"

Artist Conversation with Wendy Given

2011-01-29T15:48:00.001-05:00

On a recent winter afternoon, Wendy Given spoke at the gallery about her current photography exhibit Turn Your Back to the Forest, Your Front to Me. We appreciate everyone braving the cold to attend!

Wendy discusses her artist residency in Caldera, Oregon,
where she created her current body of work for the exhibition.

Given (left) discusses her creative
process & the photograph, By the Boat of Charon.

Based on a witches ladder, Given explains the meaning
behind her rope and feather sculpture, Not All is Kept Hard or Soft.

Turn Your Back to the Forest, Your Front to Me

Exhibition: January 14 - February 26, 2011

Gallery Hours | Wed - Sat | 11 am - 5 pm

Turn Your Back to the Forest, Your Front to Me

2011-01-15T16:22:00.001-05:00

Whitespace is pleased to present Turn Your Back to the Forest, Your Front to Me, a photography exhibit by Wendy Given.

Wendy Given produces work that resonates in the deep, dark and unstable ground between consciousness and collective memory. The current exhibition “Turn Your Back to the Forest, Your Front to Me” consists of various portraits, objects and scenes depicting the subtle locus between metaphor, allegory, fact and fiction. The majority of the work was conceived and produced during a month long artist residency in 2010 at Caldera and Blue Lake in idyllic Sisters, Oregon.

Given’s photographs and sculptures are constructed to introduce a contemporary narrative directed by centuries of folklore and legend—ultimately depicting the fine, delicate line between realism and imagination. Given is keenly interested in observing and documenting the otherworldly—or seemingly supernatural—in the everyday experience, realizing an ongoing fascination with myth and magic.

Wendy Given received her Master’s of Fine Arts from Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles, California and her Bachelor’s of Fine Arts from the Atlanta College of Art in Atlanta, Georgia. Her work in photography and video has been exhibited in Germany, The Netherlands and nationally. She lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband, two dogs and cat.

Exhibition: January 14 - February 26, 2011
Opening Reception: Friday, January 14th, 7 - 10 pm
Conversation with the Artist: Saturday, January 15th @ 4 pm

Gallery Hours | Wed - Sat | 11 am - 5 pm

'Tis the Season: Holiday Party & Opening!

2010-12-21T14:54:00.000-05:00

Our December Show & Holiday Party closed the year on a festive note! Live music, holiday ornaments and the fabulous creations of the For-Ever-Green Tree Lot had everyone in the holiday spirit. Guests enjoyed yummy treats from the Good Food Truck & stayed warm drinking Susan's delicious homemade apple cider.

Enjoy a glimpse of the festivities below!

Holiday crafts by Katy Dement, Lynn Fowler, Margaret Hiden,
Marlene Thomas, Brandi Supratanapongse, The Atlanta School,
Patty Nelson Merrifield, Amandine Drouet, & Richard Sudden.

Santa Claus is here! (Gordon Chandler)


Eco-Friendly Tree Lot & The Good Food Truck

The December Show.
Art (l to r): Michele Schuff, Tommy Taylor,
Jody Faussett, Julia Hill and Ling Zhang.

Fire Cauldron by Charlie Smith.


What will Susan ask Santa for this year?!	?

Art by Jonathan Bouknight, Ann-Marie Manker & Mery Lynn McCorkle.

Holiday Ornaments & Gifts.

For-Ever-Green Eco Friendly Tree Lot (Tracy Wagner).

Whitespace photographer, Margaret Hiden, poses with Santa Claus.

Festivities in the Courtyard.

Whitespace a Glow.
(L) Tree creation by Steve Johnson for the For-Ever-Green Tree Lot.

Whitespace staff with Santa (Gordon Chandler).
L to R: Nadira Ali, Kelly Pierce and Kat Ivey.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS from WHITESPACE
We look forward to seeing you in 2011!

Gallery Hours: Wed - Sat | 11 am - 5 pm
Gallery Closed: Dec. 24–25 & Jan. 1st.

Holiday Show: New Works by Selected Gallery Artists + For-Ever-Green Tree Lot!

2010-12-03T11:06:00.002-05:00

Whitespace, named Best Gallery 2010 by Creative Loafing, is pleased to present The December Show, a survey of new works by selected gallery artists including: Meg Aubrey, Jonathan Bouknight, Sarah Emerson, Jody Fausett, Julia Hill, Ann-Marie Manker, David Mitchell, Mark Sandlin, Red Weldon-Sandlin, Michele Schuff, Richard Sexton, Whitney Stansell, Richard Sudden, Tommy Taylor, Yukari Umekawa, Tracy Wagner, Bo Zhang and Ling Zhang.

THE DECEMBER SHOW

opening reception + holiday party

+ for-ever-green eco-friendly tree lot

December 3, 2010 - January 1, 2011

Opening Reception: Friday, December 3 | 7-10 pm

Please join us opening night December 3rd for our Holiday Party, showcasing yummy street food from the Good Food Truck, warm homemade apple cider, and many other surprises!

The For-Ever-Green Eco-Friendly Tree Lot will feature sustainable, eco-friendly trees, each created by artists re-interpreting the Christmas Tree. Displayed in the Whitespace courtyard, the trees are available as part of a cash-and-carry outdoor lot for visitors to take home and use in place of a traditional tree!

Gallery Hours: Wed - Sat | 11 am - 5 pm
Gallery Closed: Dec. 24–25 & Jan. 1st.

Jerry Cullum reviews "Interior Mind/Exterior World"

2010-11-09T18:42:00.000-05:00

Art critic Jerry Cullum recently reviewed the gallery's current exhibition of photographs by Julie Sims & Yukari Umekawa.

Of their work, Cullum writes: "Sims’ stage sets representing inner processes are complemented brilliantly by Yukari Umekawa’s photographs of the exterior world that serve as evocative metaphors for feelings and intuitions."(ArtsCriticATL.com / October 27, 2010)

To read his complete review of Interior Mind/Exterior World, please click on the title below:
Evocative photos by Julie Sims and Yukari Umekawa explore inner worlds, at Whitespace

Yukari Umekawa, Memories #3
Pigment Print, 14.5"x21"

Julie Sims, Deformation, Amygdaloidal Rim
Chromogenic Print 20", 20"x 20"

Interior Mind/Exterior World

On View @ whitespace through November 20th

Opening of Interior Mind/Exterior World

2010-11-05T13:16:00.000-04:00

On opening night of our current exhibit, guests were intrigued with how photographic artists Julie Sims & Yukari Umekawa revealed aspects of their interior selves through differing approaches to their environment. Below a glimpse.

We invite you to visit the gallery and immerse yourself in the unique worlds of Sims & Umekawa!

Opening Reception for Interior Mind / Exterior World

Photographer Julie Sims discussing her work.

Photographs by Julie Sims.

Yukari beside her work "You Are Beautiful".

Guest contemplating Yukari's photographs.

Yukari speaking with guests.

Interior Mind | Exterior World

a photography exhibition

Julie Sims and Yukari Umekawa

Exhibition dates: October 15 - November 20, 2010

Interior Mind | Exterior World

2010-10-16T11:55:00.001-04:00

Whitespace is proud to present, Interior Mind | Exterior World a photography exhibition with Julie Sims and Yukari Umekawa.

Through the photographs of Julie Sims and Yukari Umekawa, the relationship between internal and external merge in the gallery’s current exhibit "Interior Mind | Exterior World". Sims creates small, constructed settings that she photographs to reference both the natural world and the anatomical structures and pathways of the brain. Umekawa focuses her view through a pinhole camera to express the world around her and then manipulates the image to show her inner self at that exact moment.

Julie Sims, Fault Line

Julie Sims, a resident of Smyrna, Georgia, draws a parallel between her frustration with her personal psychological experiences of anxiety and depression, and that which is experienced in a natural disaster, when the environment becomes inhospitable beyond human control. The psychological environment is subject to fault lines and erosive forces, just like the Earth. This metaphor offers a different context in which to consider mental health issues, and works to dismantle the stigma attached to them.

Yukari Umekawa, You Are Beautiful

Through a tiny lens, Yukari Umekawa photographs abstract, ambiguous images that she takes without thinking, only feeling. She is attracted to color, light, and familiar places, such as her hometown of Osaka, Japan. With the digital film she uses, Umekawa alters the colors of her photographs in order to communicate her happiness, confusion, excitement, longing, or contentment at the time to the viewer. By fusing artistic elements with her emotions and the scene around her, she projects her inner sentiments onto her external environment.

Interior Mind | Exterior World

a photography exhibition

Julie Sims and Yukari Umekawa

Exhibition dates: October 15 - November 20, 2010

Opening reception: Friday, October 15 | 7-10 pm

Gallery Hours:

Wednesday – Saturday, 11 am - 5 pm or by appointment

The Narratives of Artist Ann-Marie Manker

2010-09-23T11:37:00.004-04:00

Artist Ann-Marie Manker weaves complex imaginary, psychological narratives throughout her work, as in her recent show — Softcore War – currently on view in the gallery.

For insight into the inspiration behind her paintings, please view the articles below by clicking on the titles. Manker will be speaking in the gallery tonight, September 23rd @ 6:30pm. We hope you can join us!

CREATIVE LOAFING — ATLANTA

Ann-Marie-Manker paints bright fantasies of dark times, by Wyatt Williams.

BURNAWAY.org

Ann-Marie Manker imagines birthday cakes covered in hot lava, by Jeremy Abernathy (September 10, 2010).

Ann-Marie Manker, Swan Song, 2010.
acrylic, acryla-gouache, graphite, acrylic ink & varnish on braced wood.
32 x 46 inches. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Ann-Marie Manker's work was recently included in the group show, Women to Watch 2010, Body of Work: New Perspectives on Figure Painting at the National Museum of Women in the Arts (Washington, D.C.) Jiha Moon also interviewed Manker for The Studio Visit (09/07/2010).

SOFTCORE WAR

New Works by Ann-Marie Manker

Exhibit Dates: September 10 – October 9, 2010.

"Softcore War" Opening Night

2010-09-22T13:11:00.003-04:00

On September 10th, artist Ann-Marie Manker unveiled her recent body of work, Softcore War. Viewers were confronted with intriguing paintings and sculptural installations that revolve around the daydreams of a young female would-be suicide bomber.

Whitespace owner Susan Bridges with artist Ann-Marie Manker.

Sunnyside Up
sculptural installation: 1981 VW Rabbit car door, fabric, paper latex, sand.

Viewer contemplating Little Voice.

Fire Arms
sculptural installation: paper, acrylic, wax, rope, sand, flour.

The Good Food Truck provided delicious bites!

SOFTCORE WAR

New Works by Ann-Marie Manker

The drawings and paintings of Ann-Marie Manker explore psychological narratives through the representation of figurative imagery within fantasy landscapes. Her new body of work focuses on the daydreams of a young female would-be suicide bomber.

Exhibit Dates: September 10 – October 9, 2010
Conversation with the Artist: September 23 @ 6:30 pm

"Convergent Frequencies": a site specific art installation this weekend!

2010-09-16T12:07:00.000-04:00

ArtBox

a collaboration between i45 and Possible Futures

presents "Convergent Frequencies"

September 17, 18 & 19 | 6 pm - midnight
Musical performances each night at 9 pm.
Free & open to the public.

Located at the intersection of Krog St and Lake Ave/Irwin St.

Whitespace and the galleries of i45 are pleased to announce "Convergent Frequencies", a site specific art installation commissioned by ArtBox, a collaboration between i45 and Possible Futures. The event will take place at the intersection of Krog Street and Irwin Street/Lake Avenue, where three local artists – Matt Gilbert, Matt Haffner & Nat Slaughter — will reinvent the empty lot with three large shipping containers using images, film, and sound, while simultaneously celebrating the surrounding neighborhoods.

Each evening at dusk, media artist and designer, Matt Gilbert, will present his new video inspired by the modularity of the brain's vision system and the similar separation of color and movement in digital video. Matt Haffner's contribution will be a series of narrative portraits applied to the exteriors of the three shipping containers. His silhouetted figures play out scenes with a background of Urban iconography that relates specifically to the Inman Park, Old 4th Ward, Little Five Points area that both he and the works inhabit. Artist and designer, Nat Slaughter will convert the interiors of containers into a series of sound installations of binaural field recordings gathered from walks around Old Fourth Ward, Inman Park and the spaces in-between.

i45 is a gallery collective from Inman Park, the Old Fourth Ward and Little Five Point that includes Barbara Archer Gallery, Henley Studios, Wm Turner Gallery and Whitespace.

Please click on the link to see the recent Creative Loafing article by Wyatt Williams: 'Convergent Frequencies' transforms the corner of Krog and Irwin streets. A pop-up gallery made of 4-ton steel shipping containers? We're not making this up.

New Works by Ann-Marie Manker

2010-09-09T19:26:00.000-04:00

Whitespace is pleased to present an exhibition by Ann-Marie Manker. The drawings and paintings of Ann-Marie Manker explore psychological narratives through the representation of figurative imagery within fantasy landscapes. Her new body of work, entitled Softcore War, focuses on the daydreams of a young female would-be suicide bomber.

SOFTCORE WAR

New Works by Ann-Marie Manker
Exhibit Dates: September 10 – October 9, 2010
Conversation with the Artist: September 23 @ 6:30 pm

Ann-Marie Manker, "Road Block"
graphite, colored lead, acrylic ink, acryla-gouache & acrylic paint
12" x 16" x 1"

Through suggestive acts or claims of violence, the imagery supposes the loss of childhood innocence and the longing for an idealized afterlife. Manker emasculates the war with her flirtatious subjects and chooses her own symbols for destruction, including ammunition comprised of birthday candles and balloons, masks made of panties, dishcloths or fur and destroyed cars that melt like ice cream cakes in pale pink or turquoise environments.

Softcore War is the coming of age where a sweet 16 turns salty or deadly in a sugarcoated world that remains isolated and disconnected from the true realities of war. Both metaphorically and symbolically, Manker also employs animal imagery of swans and lambs in the dual role of victim and accomplice. She has created this series on braced wood panels ranging from 12"x12" to 30"x40" using graphite, colored lead, acrylic ink, acryla-gouache and acrylic paint.

Ann-Marie Manker, "Little Voice"
graphite, colored lead, acrylic ink, acryla-gouache & acrylic paint
18" x 14" x 1"

Softcore War will be on view September 10 – October 9, 2010.

Opening Reception: September 10th > 7 pm- 10 pm

Conversation with the Artist: September 23 @ 6:30 pm

A Curatorial Conversation with Leslie Kniesel

2010-08-30T21:22:00.001-04:00

On August 21st, curator Leslie Kneisel held an informal conversation at the gallery. She discussed some of her inspiration for the current whitespace exhibit Not Biodegradable, as well as ideas and her thoughts behind the artwork she chose. We wanted to share with you a few of the highlights from her talk.

An artist in her own right, Leslie has exhibited her work in Atlanta since 1985. She considers Not Biodegradable her personal “contribution to the community.” With this exhibit she hopes to bring a "new direction and dialogue" to the Atlanta art community by showing a glimpse of the LA scene to Atlanta. In her observation of LA artists, Leslie became intrigued with how many seem to be process and material oriented, creating art that is more concerned with light, color and materials and less concept driven.

Curator Leslie Kniesel in front of "Mother Board" by Alison Foshee.

Curatorial Inspiration – The Bear Story & Art that Endures

The roots for Not Biodegradable germinated in two experiences.

On a camping trip last spring, a tattered plastic bag caught Leslie's eye while she was speaking with the camp director. The director stopped her from picking it up. Its presence was to serve as an example of what remains after the campers and the bears have left the campground.

Plastic’s longevity merged with Leslie’s thoughts regarding a discussion that participating artist Mery Lynn McCorkle had about whether to create art that disintegrates or art that endures and is “permanent.”

Forever Plastic – Artistic Manipulation

Created from a clay mold, David Grant’s latex sculptures are rooted in the homosexual subculture of “gainers.” (please see entry dated August 11, 2010) Yet, Grant's touch of silliness, irreverence, bravado and eye for color invite the viewer to touch. As Leslie exclaimed: "Squooshy! DO TOUCH!”

Director Susan Bridges DOES Touch!

Through her luminous mixed media paintings, Mery Lynn McCorkle "takes things that give me pain and turns them into beauty." The beading in her paintings serves as Morse code. In one work the code, "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, even the stars will die", imbues an artistic form of mortality to deceased family members. The celestial references in her works also evoke her loved ones.

Artist Mery Lynn McCorkle (L)

Process oriented, artist Alison Foshee transforms the everyday, “insignificant” plastic pushpin into floral arrangements that mimic the organizational systems of nature.

Detail of "Mother Board" by Alison Foshee.

French artist Mireille Vautier embroiders plastic bags that result in delicate, translucent, fluid forms. Vautier explores “natural phenomenon through plastic,” as in "La Mue" that mimics a snake shedding its skin.

Mireille Vautier's cascading "La Mue."

A comic note on the more serious debate of what constitutes art.

Whether intentionally or not, Vautier’s work also raises the question of what constitutes art. As Leslie explained, she had a challenging time convincing customs to release Vautier’s artwork when it arrived from France. Customs personnel asserted that since it was not on a canvas it was not art. At least not according to their classification system. Customs released it only after the classification for her work was changed to sculpture.

For Leslie, this incident highlights how our society continues to struggle with understanding what constitutes art or how it should be classified. She hopes that the works in Not Biodegradable will help to expand our notion of art.

NOT BIODEGRADABLE
Curated by Leslie Kneisel

Artists include: Alison Foshee, David Grant, Mery Lynn McCorkle, Jon Rajkovich, Shirley Tse, Mireille Vautier
Exhibition is currently on view until September 4, 2010.

A Passion for Plastic: Opening Reception

2010-08-27T18:23:00.001-04:00

Curated by Leslie Kniesel, Not Biodegradable opened to quite a crowd!

Intrigued by how the artists explored how plastic can be transformed into art, some guests even decided to get a little up close & personal...

The ladies of Whitespace enjoy David Grant's sculpture "Damon."

(L-R: Kat Ivey, Sage Fountain & Leslie Hochsztein)

Viewers contemplate works by Jon Rajkovich(L) and Shirley Tse (R).

Pushpins as systemized floral arrangements.

Artist Alison Foshee in front of her wallpiece "Mother Board."
(Photographer: Terry Kearns)

Artist Jon Rajkovich with his artwork made from found objects.
(Photographer: Terry Kearns)

Not Biodegradable is on view until September 4, 2010.

Exhibition: NOT BIODEGRADABLE

2010-08-11T12:39:00.000-04:00

NOT BIODEGRADABLE
Curated by Leslie Kneisel
Participating Artists: Alison Foshee, David Grant,
Mery Lynn McCorkle, Jon Rajkovich, Shirley Tse, Mireille Vautier

Exhibition Dates: August 6 - September 4, 2010
Conversation: Saturday, August 21st @ 3 pm

The artists in NOT BIODEGRADABLE employ plastics or petroleum-based products in their process, either referentially, materially or both. With the exception of one, the artists are from Los Angeles. Linked through their choice of materials, they share a passion for how the non-biodegradable can be manipulated.

Playfulness, exuberant obsessiveness and a love of color permeate their artwork. Each artist uniquely explores the capabilities of their chosen material. Whether plastic (which lasts hundreds of years), or petroleum (often wasted on fueling cars), the creative results suggest they may be better utilized in making art – then at least the art would endure forever.

Alison Foshee, "Mother Board" (detail), push pins on cardboard, 8'x14'.

Alison Foshee tinkers with pre-fabricated objects such as plastic pushpins. She is particularly interested in the dual nature of these consumable goods. Simultaneously indispensable and without value, they function in her work as a not-so-subtle metaphor for culture's subjective definition of what is precious.

David Grant, "Damon", sculptural latex.

David Grant's sculptural rubber latex pieces are playful references to a subculture within the gay community known as "gainers": prodigiously large men who intentionally overeat in order to gain weight and thereby increase their sexual pleasure. Their admirers measure beauty by their own standards, complete with "stars.”

Mery Lynn McCorkle, "Winter Sky 3", mixed media, 30 x 20".
Lower layer: acrylic, spray paint, glitter, pencil on denril; Armature: escutcheon pins & bronze wire; Upper layer: acrylic, autobody pigment, mylar thread on rayon paper.
NOTE: The beads on the wire armature are in Morse code.

Mery Lynn McCorkle's sculptural paintings are elegiac meditations on the beauty of the galaxy and its stars. Plastic in her work pays homage to an immortality that is not ours, but rather plastic’s ability to "outlast our bones.”

Jon Rajkovich, "Blackadder", welded plastic, pvc, epoxy, aluminum and
wood, 43 x 20 x 7"

In his sculptures, Jon Rajkovich merges fabricated objects with past impressions and elements of imagination. While alluding to their earlier history, he continues an object’s life cycle by placing it within a different context, where it has a new point of departure.

Shirley Tse, "Vagabond or Wanderlust? #1", plastic bag, 24 x 34 x 2".

For over a decade, Shirley Tse's installations, sculptures and photographs have engaged the philosophical implications of plastic as a phenomenon: transience, mobility, mutation, multiplicity and conflict that defines our contemporary society. "The context in which plastic is seen calls for a dilemma between its phenomenological and semiotic significance. I realize plastic is more than a substance, it is a formula. It is a code. In our world, it becomes a site. A site that is physical, semantic and sociopolitical all at once".

Mireille Vautier, "Mue", embroideries on plastic.

Mireille Vautier creates embroideries on plastic bags. Her embroidery imparts nobility to these everyday, “useless”, non-biodegradable objects. She transforms them into translucent, light-filled creations reminiscent of fluid membranes.

SEEPAGES: Conversation with the Artists

2010-07-29T10:30:00.001-04:00

On opening weekend of our Seepages exhibit, curator Caroline Lathan-Stiefel and participating artists Van Stiefel and John Otte elucidated their ideas behind the exhibit. Quite insightful, we thought we would share with you some of the highlights.

Over the last 10 years, the concept of seepage has been an integral part of artist and curator Caroline Lathan-Stiefel’s work. For her, “seepage” implies a system breakdown, as well as “a flow that breaks up a clog.” The exhibit Seepages is a collaborative project by a group of artists whose works can be seen as a response to inhabiting and navigating contemporary urban and suburban environments. This group installation explores the idea that urban, suburban, and natural realms are not separate entities, but rather permeable, fluid spaces that connect and seep into each other.

To illustrate how seepage has been part of her artistic trajectory, Caroline shows pictures of an earlier project Roam, for which she made small, outdoor installations around her suburban home. Other earlier projects she discussed included the creation of an outdoor installation attached to a scarred tree in her backyard, which had lost its limbs in a storm.

Caroline stands next to Thomas Vance's Niwaki sculptures that reference the cloud-like pruned trees in Japanese suburban gardens. For Caroline, the Niwaki sculptures relate to the concept of “suburban” seepage, while also conjuring up the unsettling feeling that arises when humans attempt to control nature.

For Van Stiefel, sound is extremely pertinent to the seepages concept because "…we have eyelids not earlids!” His sound installation consists of eight tracks comprised of natural sounds mixed with synthetic sounds. The computer then creates uncontrolled melodies from these sounds. Married to Caroline, Van Stiefel has created "field recordings" of sounds around their suburban home ranging from the sound of ice melting in their gutters to mixing the sounds of birds chirping in the early morning and evening.

Artist John Otte reflects upon the art-making process as one that is cathartic: For Otte, artists create their art in the midst of considerable “destructive, ugly and frightening stuff”.” Making art serves as a “…way to make it better and inhabitable and somehow get us through the day.” In reference to the exhibition space for the installation, Otte remarks that whitespace itself is reflective of seepages, since it too is a "hybrid place – there's already a lot of seepages in here.”

Ward Davenny and Kate Stewart stand in front of their collaborative mixed-media painting "Smoke Drawing.” Inspired by Ward’s enthusiasm for chasing storms, he and Kate thought of seepages as smoke or a storm cloud brewing. With this in mind, they decided to take a torch and smoke the canvas.

Snapshots of the opening reception for Seepages

Crowd in front of "Hinterland,” a group installation by Caroline Lathan-Stiefel (fabric sculpture), John Otte (brick wall collage & video), and Van Stiefel (sound).

Caroline's dad, "Dr. Bob" Lathan, listening to Van Stiefel's sound recording, Solaris.

A viewer in front of Thomas Vance's Tumble (acrylic, ink, & sculptamold on cardboard).

Critic and writer Jonathan Lerner taking in Caroline's Roam (red 1).

Arden Bendler Browning's Blindspots (gouache and flashe on Tyvek).

Seepages is currently on view in the gallery until July 31st. We hope to see you soon!
Participating Artists: Caroline Lathan-Stiefel, Van Stiefel, Arden Bendler Browning, Thomas Vance, John Otte, Kate Stewart and Ward Davenny.

Permeable Boundaries Between the Urban, Suburban & Natural Realms

2010-07-19T13:26:00.000-04:00

Below are links to recent reviews on our current exhibit, Seepages, curated by Caroline Lathan-Stiefel. We hope you will be inspired to see this engaging and thought-provoking group show.

Catherine Fox, Access Atlanta/AJC: "Caroline Lathan-Stiefel and crew make "Seepages" worth a visit at Whitespace."
Deanna Sirlin, Creative Loafing: "Artists exchange ideas, techinques in Seepages."

"Seepages" curated by Caroline Lathan-Stiefel

2010-06-19T15:22:00.000-04:00

On June 25th, our next exhibit Seepages will open. Curated by Caroline Lathan-Stiefel, Seepages is a collaborative project by artists whose works are a response to inhabiting and navigating contemporary urban and suburban environments. Their work explores the idea that urban, suburban, and natural realms are not separate entities, but rather permeable, fluid spaces that connect and seep into each other.

Participating Artists: Caroline Lathan-Stiefel, Arden Bendler Browning, Van Stiefel, Thomas Vance, John Otte, Kate Stewart & Ward Davenny.

Exhibit Dates: June 25-July 31
Opening Reception: Friday, June 25 | 7 - 10
Conversation with the Artists: Saturday, June 26th @ 3pm

Made of textiles, crafts, and recyclables, Caroline Lathan-Stiefel’s sculptural installations reference both man-made and natural elements. Allusions to architectural forms, chain link fences, plumbing fixtures, fungi, and stalactites cover, divide, encircle, and fill the spaces in which they are situated. For her sculptural installation Hinterland, Caroline collaborated with her husband Van Stiefel, who has created an accompanying sound installation. Mixed with musical elements and computer-generated sound, Van Stiefel’s sound installations consist of processed recordings made in and around their Pennsylvanian home.

“Ambient sounds recorded in and around our suburban home (birds, ice melting, neighbors grilling, distant motors) are blended with real time audio processing of the original recordings in eight channels. The computer shifts the various sounds among eight car speakers placed within the sculpture, exploring realistic/illusionistic representations of space.” (Van Stiefel)

Thomas Vance, "Untitled", pencil/colored pencil on graph paper, 15 5/16" x 9 3/16", 2010.

Arden Bendler Browning’s daily travels through Philadelphia’s “dichotomous landscape” strongly inform her multi-perspective images, which include both small drawings on paper and wall-sized paintings on tyvek.

Arden Bendler Browning, "Rubble", drawing on paper, 15" x 22", 2009.

John Otte’s finely textured mixed media paintings and collages suggest devastated abstract landscapes that are both elegiac and highly-charged.

John Otte, "Sugar & Shit", collage, 11" x 17", 2009.

Kate Stewart’s paintings explore notions of shelter and escape in response to both real and contrived man-made catastrophes and natural disasters.

Kate Stewart, "Lawncare Vortex",
acrylic & mica powder on paper,
24" x 18", 2010.

For Seepages, Kate Stewart has also collaborated with artist Ward Davenny to create a large-scale painting utilizing paint and soot. (Image Left: Davenny in action "smoking" the canvas.)

Ward Davenny, "Reclaimed Landfill", charcoal on paper, 12.5" x 16.5", 2010.

Bandoneón musician Osvaldo Barrios

2010-06-19T13:45:00.000-04:00

For those of you who missed Osvaldo Barrios play the bandoneón after our recent screening of WISHES, here is a glimpse with Robin Bernat dancing the tango.

whitespace-wishes-tango-bandoneon from Susan Bridges on Vimeo.

An Argentinian Inspired Night

2010-06-18T19:02:00.002-04:00

Last Sunday’s languid, sultry evening was the perfect backdrop for the screening of WISHES, a film by Blake Williams + Robin Bernat. Afterwards, Bernat’s tango dancing to the accompaniment of Osvaldo Barrios’ exquisite playing of the bandoneón transfixed gallery guests.

Scene from WISHES.

Q&A with Blake and Robin.

Robin tango dances after the screening.

Matt Gilbert's Animations for "Unless & Until"

2010-06-15T21:03:00.000-04:00

Wyatt Williams recently reviewed Matt Gilbert's animation of Julie Püttgen's paintings in Creative Loafing. To read the review, please click Art Seen: Matt Gilbert's Animations at Whitespace.

Featuring work by Julie Püttgen, JS van Buskirk, James R. Carlson, and Matt Gilbert, the multimedia collaboration Unless & Until "...tells the story of Unless and Until, two creatures of indeterminate gender and rich acquaintance, who are returning to the pleasures of domestic existence, while attempting to remember the details of a fantastical journey they have largely forgotten. On another level, the project is a celebration of the act of creation & the experience of revelation." (Julie Püttgen)

For more about the project, please click here. The exhibit is currently on view in the Whitespace gallery until June 19th.

WISHES ~ Lost Love and an Illusive Reunion

2010-06-11T11:47:00.003-04:00

On Sunday, June 13 @ 8pm, the gallery is proud to present:
WISHES ~ A Collaborative Film by Blake Williams & Robin Bernat.
Approx. Run Time: 16 min.
Bandoneón player Osvaldo Barrios will play after the screening.

WISHES explores a universal desire for wish fulfillment. Through sumptuous imagery, Argentine tango music and dance, and spoken word, WISHES presents a wistful narrative about lost love and an illusive reunion.

With performances by Julian Ingram, bandoneón player Osvaldo Barrios, Robin Bernat and the Tango Junkies. Special thanks to Danneman's coffee house in the Old Fourth Ward and the Tango Junkies’ Wednesday milonga!

The film is made possible through the generous support of:
Susan and Carl Cofer / Louis Corrigan / Andy Rinzler / Joe Stewardson
Susan Bridges and whitespace gallery / Chris Mangum / David Gylfe
Sue and Neil Williams / Amy Miller / Anne Archer Dennington

ROBIN BERNAT is an experimental filmmaker and poet whose work explores beauty, feeling and their provisional qualities. Images tinged with nostalgia collectively create evocative narratives with both personal and universal meaning. Bernat has exhibited her work nationally at the Kemper Museum of Art, The Cheekwood Museum, MOCA-GA, and the Whitney Museum of American Art’s Biennial in 2000. With degrees in political philosophy and printmaking, she was a visiting artist at the American Academy in Rome (2001). She has served on the Boards of Directors of both the High Museum’s 20th Century Art Society and Art Papers magazine, for which she has written critical reviews. For over ten years, Robin has taught private art classes in painting, drawing, sculpture and new media. A regular instructor in IMAGE Film and Video’s MEDIA program, she has introduced the techniques and language of film production to under-served Atlanta teens.

BLAKE WILLIAMS is a video producer with ten years of experience creating films that tell unique stories about artists, organizations, and businesses. She is currently the president of PROPERMEDIUM, a full service video production company that helps businesses and individuals connect with their audience using online films. With a degree from Boston's Berklee College of Music, Williams was artist-in-residence at Atlanta College of Art from 2002 to 2005. She has also served as a music tech at Music Playground, a company that markets, licenses, and supervises music for film, television, and other media.

An artistic collaboration between friends.

2010-06-02T12:49:00.006-04:00

Currently on view in the gallery is Unless & Until, a multimedia collaboration between Julie Püttgen (paintings), JS van Buskirk (text), James R. Carlson (music) and Matt Gilbert (video).

Evolving from a series of narrative, pictorial paintings to story lines and songs with the addition of animation, Unless & Until is the result of a collaboration in chance and friendship. A recent conversation with the artists illuminated the creative process behind their work.

JS van Buskirk, Julie Püttgen, James R. Carlson & Matt Gilbert.

Julie discusses her paintings.

Annotated screening where the artists explained the evolution

of each chapter of the animated book version of the pictorial narrative.

Exhibition is through June 19th.

The book, CD & DVDs are available for purchase at the gallery.
Gallery Hours: Wednesday – Saturday
11 am - 5 pm or by appointment.

UNLESS & UNTIL: a multimedia collaboration in chance & friendship

2010-06-02T12:13:00.007-04:00

UNLESS & UNTIL ~ a collaborative project
Paintings by Julie Püttgen. Videos by Matt Gilbert.
Music by James R. Carlson. Text by JS van Buskirk.

Exhibition dates: May 21 - June 19, 2010
Gallery hours: Wednesday – Saturday
11 am - 5 pm or by appointment.

The exhibit Unless & Until has evolved as the result of a collaboration in chance and friendship. In January 2008, Julie Püttgen created a series of paintings on paper called Cloudmapping. Each painting began as loose, chaotic washes of color, into which she would gradually "read" a narrative, pictorial space. After about six paintings, Julie realized there was a story linking the paintings together that needed to be written. She contacted her childhood friend, Stephanie Paulk (JS van Buskirk), to construct the narrative, write the text and compose the lyrics. During this process, Julie agreed not to read the story in progress until she had completed the twenty-four paintings in the series.

Around the same time, Julie's friend and colleague, Jim Carlson, saw the paintings, heard about the collaboration and offered to compose music based on the text. Meanwhile, Julie created the prelude animation as a way to bring all the other elements together.

Realizing that animation was the necessary next step in the project, Matt Gilbert became the last addition to the crew as digital animator, pushing the definitions of the project far beyond what had been imagined possible.

The book, CD & DVDs are available for purchase at the gallery.
CD/Score > $12; DVD/film > $25; Book > $80.
Complete Set > $125.00

GreenSleeves Fashion Show Video

2010-05-29T18:08:00.005-04:00

On a chilly evening back in December, a highlight of our Forever Green holiday market was the GreenSleeves Fashion Show featuring eco-friendly and recycled fashions.

Creative Outlet Productions has kindly made a video of our night celebrating green fashion. Please take a look & enjoy!

Jonathan Lerner Reading "Alex Underground"

2010-05-24T13:25:00.003-04:00

On a lovely spring evening recently, Jonathan Lerner read from his new novel Alex Underground — "a novel about the radical underground from one who was there."

A warm thank you to everyone who attended!

Jonathan Lerner reading from "Alex Underground."

Poet Ann Stephenson, Jonathan Lerner & arts critic Cathy Fox.

Jonathan signing copies of his novel in the gallery.

(Copies are still available for purchase at Whitespace.)

A nationally recognized magazine editor and feature writer, Jonathan Lerner is the former editor of Peach magazine and contributor to Southern Voice, Delta Sky and other publications. He is the author of a previous novel, Caught in a Still Place, and editor of the oral history Voices from Wounded Knee. He lives in Atlanta. For more about Lerner, please visit his site: www.penpowerpublishing.com

Whitney & Micah Stansell in Conversation

2010-05-10T13:12:00.000-04:00

An engaging conversation with Whitney and Micah this past Saturday. Thank you to everyone who attended!

Recent Press on Whitney & Micah Stansell

2010-05-10T12:57:00.000-04:00

Recent articles on gallery artists Whitney and Micah Stansell appear below. (Please click on the titles to read the full article.)

"Past. Perfect. Continuous." by Catherine Fox, ArtsCriticATL.com

Past. Perfect. Continuous. Micah and Whitney Stansell at Whitespace by Meghan Norman, BURNAWAY.org

3 Atlantans Win Working Artist Project Awards by Howard Pousner, Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

A few questions with Micah Stansell by Wyatt Williams, Creative Loafing.

Past. Perfect. Continuous. by Erin Hollenbank, AtlantaArtCritic.com

Opening Reception for Past.Perfect.Continuous.

2010-05-05T12:44:00.001-04:00

We wanted to share with you a few images from the opening reception for Whitney + Micah Stansell's exhibit. Thank you to everyone who attended. For those who haven't had a chance to view it yet, we look forward to seeing you soon!

Whitney Stansell's series of collage drawings & paintings.

Micah Stansell's film/video installation.

Garment and Structures.
Paper Sculpture Installation by Whitney Stansell.

Artist Whitney Stansell (right) discussing her work with guest.

FiberARTS Profile on Whitney Stansell

2010-04-29T11:15:00.001-04:00

FiberARTS, the magazine on contemporary textile art and craft, recently profiled artist Whitney Stansell in the April/May 2010 issue. Discover how she interweaves fragments of family history, memory, fabric patterns, and vintage clothes to create mixed-media sculpture about love, loss and forgiveness.

Whitney Stansell's drawings, paintings and sculpture are on view in the gallery until May 15, 2010 in Past.Perfect. Continuous., a collaborative exhibit and video installation with her husband and filmmaker Micah.

Sarah Emerson's Mural for Manif d'art 5

2010-04-29T10:20:00.006-04:00

Gallery artist Sarah Emerson is currently working on her large panoramic mural for Manif d'art 5, the Quebec City Biennale curated by Sylvie Fortin, Editor-in-Chief of ART PAPERS magazine. Below a glimpse of Emerson's work-in-progress.

Feast, 24 x 9.5 feet

Below her luminous installation, Starlight Shadows.

(Linotec film on windows)

Manif d'art 5 will be held May 1st – June 13th.

Profile on Whitney + Micah Stansell

2010-04-24T19:20:00.000-04:00

In their first two person exhibit – Past. Perfect. Continuous. – Whitney and Micah Stansell combine film, video, sculpture, drawing and painting to explore how these different methodologies influence one another as well as the content of the artwork. Employing ideas from film/video editing and montage, Whitney’s series of drawings and paintings allude to a larger narrative, while Micha’s video installation borrows an open narrative structure from the “static” works.

Whitney Stansell was born in Greenville, SC. She received her BFA in Fiber Arts from the University of Georgia and her MFA in Painting from the Savannah College of Art and Design-Atlanta. She combines painting, drawing, fibers and printmaking to create work that explores memory, history, and imagination. Her work has been reviewed in Art in America, The Atlantan, Creative Loafing, The Atlanta Journal and Constitution, and FiberARTS Magazine. Recipient of the Forward Arts Grant and Hambidge Residency, she recently completed an artist residency at the Atlanta Printmakers Studio. Whitney Stansell is an adjunct professor at the Art Institute of Atlanta.

Micah Stansell received an MFA from Georgia State University in Digital Filmmaking and the Arts. A filmmaker and moving image artist, his work has been screened at film festivals nationally and internationally, and shown at art centers and museums across the Southeast. He lives and works in College Park, GA with his wife and artist, Whitney Stansell.

Past. Perfect. Continuous is on view through May 15, 2010.

Join us for the Inman Park Festival & the Debut of the i45 Collective this Weekend!

2010-04-23T14:20:00.000-04:00

Whitespace will be open 11 am to 5 pm Friday, April 23rd through Sunday, April 25th for the Inman Park Festival!
Come in from the heat and enjoy our latest exhibition by Whitney and Micah Stansell: Past. Perfect. Continuous.

Whitespace is also proud to announce the debut of the gallery collective i45 with the video and sound installation: The Skies Over Atlanta: Where Euclid Meets Edgewood. Created by Neil Fried, Evan Levy, Priscilla Smith and Jerry Cullum, the installation features film footage taken over the years in Inman Park and the Fourth Ward, along with sounds of urban neighborhoods past, photographic graffiti and a sculpture piece.

Located in the former church at 850 Euclid Avenue, The Skies Over Atlanta will be on view from 11 am to 6 pm Saturday, April 24 and Sunday, April 25.

i45 is comprised of Whitespace, Barbara Archer Gallery, Jenny Henley Studio, Wm Turner Gallery, and the Opal Gallery. The collective plans to host installation projects in lieu of the more conventional art walks held in other neighborhoods.

For more about Skies Over Atlanta, please read Cathy Fox's post at ArtsCriticATL.

An Evening of Poetry with Kostas Anagnopoulos

2010-04-23T13:56:00.002-04:00

The recent poetry reading at Whitespace with Kostas Anagnopoulos was a special evening. A heartfelt "thank you" to everyone who attended. We hope to see you at our next reading in May!

Kostas Anagnopoulos reading from his book "Moving Blanket."

Poet & Readings Curator Ann Stephenson with Kostas.

Artwork by Whitney Stansell.

Gallery Director Susan Bridges with Ann Stephenson & Kostas Anagnopoulos.

MOCA GA selects Micah Stansell for the 2010/2011 Working Artist Project Award!

2010-04-21T12:21:00.003-04:00

Whitespace Gallery is pleased to announce the selection of Micah Stansell for the MOCA GA 2010/2011 Working Artist Project (WAP) Award. Given by The Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia (MOCA GA), the WAP award program provides unparalleled support to "established visual artists of merit who reside in the Atlanta metropolitan area."

Micah Stansell received an MFA from Georgia State University in Digital Filmmaking and the Arts. An Atlanta based artist and filmmaker, his work has been screened in galleries and film festivals nationally and internationally. As a cinematographer, Stansell has also collaborated with artists on projects and installations that have been exhibited locally and internationally.

Micah Stansell and Whitney Stansell are on exhibition at Whitespace gallery until May 15th.

Poetry Reading: Kostas Anagnopoulos

2010-04-12T12:26:00.003-04:00

Please join us this Friday, April 16th @ 8pm for the next “Ready Set Readings” with poet Kostas Anagnopoulos.

The founding editor of Insurance Editions, Anagnopoulos’ chapbooks include Daydream, Irritant, and Various Sex Acts. His first full-length collection of poems, Moving Blanket, was recently published by Ugly Duckling Presse.

A limited number of letterpress books – created especially for this reading – will be available.

Exhibit: Whitney Stansell + Micah Stansell

2010-04-08T10:59:00.004-04:00

Past. Perfect. Continuous.
A drawing, painting, paper sculpture and video installation.
April 9 - May 15, 2010
Reception: Friday, April 9 > 7 pm - 10 pm

Whitespace is pleased to present an exhibition by Whitney and Micah Stansell. In their first two-person exhibition, Whitney and Micah combine film/video, sculpture, drawing, and painting to explore how the forms of these methodologies influence each other.

Whitney Stansell + Micah Stansell
April 9 - May 15, 2010
Gallery Hours: Wed - Sat | 11 am-5 pm

SAVE THE DATE: Please join us for a conversation with the artists on Saturday, May 8 @ 3 pm.

Snakes & Snacks

2010-03-27T17:12:00.002-04:00

Hong Zhang and a Story of Snakes and Snacks from Susan Bridges on Vimeo.

Styles Between East & West

2010-03-24T16:53:00.000-04:00

Art critic Catherine Fox recently reviewed the 3 Sisters show for the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

*Please click on the image to read the article.

Three Graces of Art — Creative Loafing Review

2010-03-20T15:25:00.004-04:00

*Please click on the image to read the article.

Artist Sarah Emerson Selected for Quebec City's biennial, MANIF D'ART 5!

2010-03-09T18:10:00.004-05:00

Whitespace Gallery is pleased to announce the selection of Sarah Emerson for MANIF D'ART 5 – The Quebec City Biennial. (The biennial will be held May 1st – June 13th, 2010.)

Sylvie Fortin, Editor-in-Chief of Atlanta's award-winning international contemporary art magazine ART PAPERS, is the curator of the 2010 MANIF D'ART 5.

Three Sisters: Opening Reception 2.26.2010

2010-03-06T17:04:00.006-05:00

3 sisters. 3 artists. 3 diverse works on paper

ZHANG: Ling. Bo. Hong

February 26 – April 3, 2010

Thank you all to those who joined us for the opening of our new exhibition by Ling, Bo and Hong Zhang. It was wonderful to have all three sisters in Atlanta. Our special appreciation goes to Cathy Yi He for her exquisite performance of the Guzheng!

Poet Bruce Covey reads @ Whitespace, March 12th

2010-03-03T14:51:00.006-05:00

As part of Whitespace's Ready Set Reading program series, we are pleased to announce that poet Bruce Covey will be reading in the gallery, Friday March 12th @8pm. A limited number of letterpress books will be available. We look forward to seeing you!

From Beijing to Atlanta: 3 Sisters. 3 Artists.

2010-03-01T16:01:00.008-05:00

Whitespace is pleased to present From Beijing to Atlanta: a works on paper exhibition with Chinese sisters and artists Ling, Bo and Hong Zhang.
(February 26 - April 3, 2010)

Bo Zhang: Treasure

Hong Zhang: Three Graces

Ling Zhang: Dream of Butterflies

Go On the Road & Off the Grid with artist and adventurer Richard Sudden

2010-03-01T15:19:00.003-05:00

Whitespace is pleased to announce and support On the Road / Off the Grid, a new project documenting the adventures of gallery artist and filmmaker Richard Sudden. Directed by Jason Vise and produced by Thirst Media, the documentary program series combines global travel, sustainable design and the development of an "off-the-grid" living project.

To view the video, please visit On the Road / Off the Grid.

Tommy Taylor reviewed on Burnaway.org

2010-03-01T14:59:00.003-05:00

Tommy Taylor's recent exhibit Tangent was reviewed on the Atlanta based visual arts blog BurnAway.

Dialogue: Two Reviews of Tommy Taylor's Tangent

Whitespace Inaugurates Ready Set Readings

2010-03-01T14:28:00.012-05:00

Recently Whitespace inaugurated Ready Set Readings, a series featuring writers and poets. Curated by poet Ann Stephenson, Ready Set Readings demonstrates our commitment to new and innovative writing. Upcoming readings will feature Bruce Covey (March) and Kostas Anagnopoulos (April).

Ann Stephenson is the author of the chapbook Wirework (Tent Editions, 2006). Her poems have recently appeared in The Brooklyn Rail, Coconut, Forklift, Ohio: A Journal of Poetry, Cooking & Light Industrial Safety, Gerry Mulligan and Sal Mimeo. In 2007 Stephenson received her MFA from Bard College. She relocated from New York City to her hometown of Atlanta, Georgia.

(Photo: Jody Fausett. Location: Flannery O'Connor's home.)

Poet Sabrina Orah Mark reads @ Whitespace

2010-02-24T18:30:00.004-05:00

"Wild Things" & Oxford American's SouthernGirl

2010-02-22T16:38:00.007-05:00

Carol Ann Fitzgerald, the managing editor of the Oxford American, recognized the December show in her SouthernGirl blog.

Where the Wild Things Are (in Atlanta)

Whitespace appreciates Carol's kind words. Thank you!

TommyTini: Mix & Enjoy!

2010-02-22T16:25:00.004-05:00

The mixologists of Shaun's restaurant in Inman Park created this lovely martini in honor of Tommy Taylor's show. Prepare recipe to your taste with the following ingredients:

organic vodka

poached kumquats with juice

splash of lemon juice

splash of homemade elderberry syrup

top with lemon zest

Mix, Drink & Enjoy!

Whitespace Q+A with Tommy Taylor

2010-02-01T12:59:00.021-05:00

Painter Tommy Taylor in a Q + A with Whitespace gallery director, Susan Bridges.

SB: When did you first realize you wanted to be an artist?

Taylor: I decided at a young age to be an artist. It really was what I always did best and defined who I was as a youth. I remember being very young and thinking how strange it was that I knew what a tiger or a lion looked like in my head, yet I could not draw one that looked lifelike…so I got a book on how to draw animals and off I was!

SB: What inspires you to paint?

Taylor: Life inspires me to paint. Pain, joy, bliss…Music is inspirational and other artists work inspire me.

SB: What famous artists have influenced your work?

Taylor: Early inspiration was Andrew Wyeth. Later Willem de Kooning, Richard Diebenkorn, Antoni Tàpies, Inka Essenhigh, TL Lange.

SB: Do you feel your academic training prepared you for a career as an artist?

Taylor: Well, I don’t know that anything really could have prepared me. I’m glad I went to college and feel I am a more rounded individual. But I think I’ve just had to learn to take the lumps and keep on going…

SB: What do you do for fun, besides paint?

Taylor: Fun? I like to see movies like everyone I suppose. I like to get crazy and sing Karaoke. But my favorite is surfing. We used to surf in NYC at Rockaway Beach in the shadow of the projects. Picked it up while traveling. I’m not very good but love it. I’m a longboarder.

SB: My favorite painting in your show is Bicycle Thief, which is your favorite and why?

Taylor: Bicycle Thief is one great painting…when I did that I knew that I'd gotten lucky or the creative gods were smiling on me. That is such a strangely beautiful piece...it has its own language. After that, A Funny Story is my favorite. More often that not, each painting comes with a certain amount of struggle. After starting three different paintings on that board and scrapping them, I did that piece with NO STRUGGLE at all. That too was a gift from above…

SB: What's next for you?

Taylor: Next? Hopefully that show in Asia. Maybe travel to Indonesia and ride out the recession on a beach...surfin’ and painting!

In Creative Loafing this week: See & Do You Shall!

2010-01-30T13:56:00.006-05:00

Click for the article

Atlantan Magazine on Tommy Taylor

2010-01-16T16:42:00.001-05:00

From Blog

Atlantan Magazine on Susan!

2010-01-16T16:36:00.002-05:00

December Issue: click to enlarge, or go to ModernLuxury

From Blog

TANGENT: Opening reception 1.15

2010-01-16T13:12:00.006-05:00

Thank you everyone for coming out and gracing the gallery (and the courtyard) with your presence! We could not believe how packed the space was, and appreciate everyone's participation in the exhibition. For those who missed the chance to attend the opening, we will be showing until February 20th. We look forward to seeing you here!

Artist Tommy Taylor

Mario in his performance with variations of drums-
It was fantastic! Thanks Mario!

Tangent: new paintings by Tommy Taylor

2010-01-09T13:55:00.013-05:00

Tangent

new paintings by Tommy Taylor

Opening Friday Jan 15 | 7-10 PM

Whitespace is pleased to present Tommy Taylor's newest body of work, Tangent. Kinetic and vibrant, Taylor calls his paintings "intuitive anthropomorphic abstracts". The spontaneity and organic forms, drips and splatters support this statement well. While his palette retains the upbeat and quirky colors he is known for, this work is less playful and more contemplative than it has been in the past.

exhibition dates: January 15 - February 20, 2010

opening reception: Friday, January 15 | 7-10 pm

Shaun's restaurant on Edgewood Avenue will be offering a seasonally inspired $29 menu and $6 organic vodka kumquat "Tommy-tinis" throughout the evening for guests who attend the show.

1029 Edgewood Ave | 404.577.4358

the DECEMBER SHOW: now open!

2009-12-12T12:41:00.004-05:00

Selected Gallery Artists:
Robin Bernat - Jonathan Bouknight - Teresa Cole - Sarah Emerson - Jody Fausett - Matt Haffner - Sally Heller - Julia Hill - Ann-Marie Manker - Beth Marcum - David Yoakley Mitchell - John Otte - Mark Sandlin - Red Weldon-Sandlin - Michele Schuff - Scott Silvey - Caroline Smith - Micah Stansell - Whitney Stansell - Ann Stephenson - Richard Sudden - Tommy Taylor - Yukari Umekawa - Tracy Wagner

+

W H I T E H A U S
mini boutique
continues until the end of December!

Gallery Hours:
Wed - Sat | 11 AM - 5 PM
or by appointment

Whitespace
814 Edgewood Ave
Atlanta, GA 30307
404-688-1892

"Floodwaters wash away artist’s works and dreams" by Rosalind Bentley, AJC

2009-11-14T16:13:00.003-05:00

This is a heartfelt article on AJC on the effects of the recent flood on local artists, particularly Katherine McClure.

Sometimes the best way to make it through a hard patch is to grit your teeth and fake a smile. That’s what Katherine McClure tries to do and, most days, she succeeds. Like many who live along Peachtree Creek in Buckhead, McClure, 39, watched as a flood gorged her home last month...

"By Hand: From the pages of Vogue to an art gallery in Inman Park..."

2009-11-07T15:12:00.007-05:00

October issue of Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles has a feature article on Natalie Chanin, a designer from Florence, Alabama, and her relationship to Whitespace gallery. Read the full article here.

*Photos from Atlanta Homes & Lifestyle and article written by Angie Bennett Mosier

In The Thicket of It

2009-10-24T16:26:00.008-04:00

PHOTOGRAPHS + SITE SPECIFIC INSTALLATION
BY Sally Heller

OCTOBER 16- NOVEMBER 21

New Orleans-based artist, Sally Heller, creates unique structures that are at once familiar and strange by presenting mass-produced, disposable objects in unusual contexts. Through a process of subtle twists and turns she strips everyday detritus and disposable, low-end consumer goods of their original use-value, recycling them into organic forms that are repositioned in room-size installations, creating bizarre landscapes from the generic and proliferous discards of our disposable lifestyles. Fascinated by the poetics of contradictions, oxymorons and double entendres, Heller is less interested in her work's inherent commentary on consumerism, waste and ecology than she is in seeing humor in our world's plasticized realities.

The photographs provide documentation of the installations and are expressive as abstract paintings; their immediacy clearly reveals the dynamic energy that goes into building these colorful and animated installations. In the photographs, one can make out the havoc caused by nature's powers, yet the intensity of the color and wry plastic objects evoke anything but disaster. They are highly finished and elegant objects.

Conversion: new installations by Kelcy Chase Folsom

2009-10-24T12:03:00.005-04:00

conversion

NEW INSTALLATIONS BY Kelcy Chase Folsom
OCTOBER 22- NOVEMBER 21 | whitespec

Conversion, an exhibition by Kelcy Chase Folsom opened on Thursday evening, October 22 at whitespec. Folsom's intention is to tackle the process of deconstruction, rebirth and destruction. For over two years, Chase collected cast off shards and other discarded ceramic objects that covered his studio floor. Folsom had a choice, either dump the pieces or work with them. He chose the later and began sculpting the mass of stacked and strategically placed objects and by doing so, reconstructed a new aesthetic. He recorded this process with drawings and photographs. After the completion of each sculpture, he then smashed it to bits with a hammer. Next, he carefully and meticulously sieved and separated the materials into various gradients ranging from pebble-size to that of a fine powder therefore returning the ceramic to its original state. Five wall installations document Kelcy Chase Folsom's very unique approach to working with clay.

Wishes: a collaborative film by Blake Williams and Robin Bernat

2009-10-17T15:18:00.005-04:00

Wishes: Lovely, magical night of film, music, and dance. Wow. Thank you all.

Sarah Emerson's Artist Talk

2009-10-17T15:05:00.005-04:00

Thank you for joining us in Sarah's discussion of her latest exhibition, Soft Trap.
Thank you for your time and jubilant energy Sarah! Congratulations on the lovely exhibit!

2 Events. 1 Weekend.

2009-10-10T11:40:00.002-04:00

Artist's Talk by Sarah Emerson
TODAY | Saturday, October 10 | 2 PM
+
Wishes, a collaborative film by Blake Williams and Robin Bernat
Saturday, October 10 | 8 PM
Sunday, October 11 | 8 PM

Saturday, October 10 is the last day to view Soft Trap new paintings by Sarah Emerson
& Withershins sculptural works by Jeff Grant

Gallery Hours
Wed - Sat | 11 AM - 5 PM

Soft Trap: Opening Night!

2009-09-12T14:13:00.015-04:00

I was very sorry to miss the opening reception of Sarah Emerson and Jeff Grant's Soft Trap + Withershins. But many of you were smart enough to stay in town (do away with the traffic, please!) and grace us with your presence at the gallery. It seems to have been great fun and games! Thank you all for coming!
We are open until 5 this afternoon if you wish to stop by, and would love to see you here!
GALLERY HOURS & INFO
{yh}

Artist Jeff Grant himself, getting jiggy wid it

Jeff and his boyfriend, Lucas

The lovely Sarah Emerson and her husband Jesse Cregar

Precious!

Soft Trap + Withershins

2009-08-29T14:01:00.014-04:00

exhibition

SEPTEMBER 4 to OCTOBER 10, 2009

opening reception
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4. 7 PM - 10 PM

Atlanta painter, Sarah Emerson, is inspired by the tragic romanticism of a decaying environment and civilization. Her paintings express a precarious balance between the innate splendor of nature, and the mysterious fear and violence that lurks beneath the surface as natural landscapes are encroached upon and exploited. Emerson’s newest body of work is a nostalgic projection of a “future Eden” filled with fear and awe. These paintings are uniquely haunting in their whimsy and playfulness, effectively blurring the line between fairy tale and horror story.

In addition to the paintings, a collection of drawings titled “The Final Girl” is on display. The collection emerges from a concept explored by author Carol Clover on the last surviving girl in horror films. The drawings are intimately connected to the paintings as Emerson’s paintings place the viewer in the position of “the final girl”, or last survivor. She paints strange, yet familiar scenes, using common images (such as deer, beehives, fruit, locusts, bubbles, and bullet holes) to evoke a landscape of intuitive impressions. Ultimately, Emerson presents a new environment that we are left to contemplate in our own human solitude.

Work by artist, Jeff Grant will also be integrated into the exhibition. Similar to Emerson, Grant explores themes of urban encroachment into our natural environment. He works in a variety of media (drawings in ink, wood and yarn sculptures, lighting installations), to create classic forms that resonate with the viewer. Together, Emerson and Grant’s exhibition, titled Soft Trap, encourage imaginative exploration into their work by creating a landscape of memory and ambiguous symbolism.

Sarah Emerson holds a BFA from Atlanta College of Art, while Jeff Grant holds a BFA from The Rhode Island School of Design. Both artists received their MFA from Goldsmiths College in London, England. Their exhibition will be displayed in the main Whitespace gallery.

NOW OPEN

2009-08-22T13:46:00.009-04:00

Summer FALLS

'beautiful things grow out of shit... '
'things evolve out of nothing,'
and 'everything disappears.'

Thank you all for coming!

Memorable evening at the summer's end

SUMMER FALLS

2009-08-08T14:00:00.007-04:00

AUGUST 19 - 29, 2009
opening WEDNESDAY AUGUST 19 | 7 - 10 PM

Whitespace is pleased to present, SUMMER FALLS, a two week only intermission in between regularly scheduled exhibitions featuring new work as well as collaborative multi-media works by John Otte, including artists: Fereydoon Family, Richard Sudden, Karen Tauches, and Mark Wentzel.

John Otte, is well known in Atlanta as an artist, DJ, and curator. His multi-disciplinary work is primarily abstract, containing numerous references to the body, music, architecture, and landscape.

SUMMER FALLS is set to take place in just a couple of weeks when Summer slowly begins the process of giving way to Fall. In this temporary "hit & run" installation, John Otte seeks to meditate on the ongoing collapse and erosion of many previously considered "stable" systems, both locally and globally, thus making way for other arrangements and different forms. In an ongoing exploration of creative destruction, Otte employs photography, text, collage, sculpture, and film sources creating porous abstractions where systems collide, contaminate, and overlap one another, forming strange new hybrids and mutations - an uncertain world where fact and fiction are inextricably bound, "beautiful things grow out of shit . . . things evolve out of nothing," and "everything disappears."

+ 2 FILM SCREENINGS
* Selected films for screening will be announced shortly. Check back with us soon!

Artist talk with printmaker Teresa Cole

2009-07-18T15:27:00.005-04:00

Thank you for coming out last Saturday to hear Teresa Cole's artist talk! The photos from her residency and her process of art making was inspirational to say the least. It opened up the floor for discussion regarding printmaker's printmaker, Louisiana, the studios at Tulane, Belgium, and India. Although she has gone back to New Orleans, come by and check out the show, Agents of Seduction.

Agents of Seduction, now open

2009-07-18T14:54:00.009-04:00

Agents of Seduction

SCULPTURE BY CAROLINE SMITH
+ UNIQUE PRINTS BY TERESA COLE

JULY 10 - AUGUST 15

Whitespace is pleased to announce a two-woman exhibition opening Friday, July 10 through August 22. The exhibition, Agents of Seduction, features New Orleans printmaker Teresa Cole and Atlanta sculptor Caroline Smith.

Printmaker Teresa Cole, teaches at Tulane University, New Orleans and holds a BFA from the Maryland Institute of Art, and an MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art. Her work represents a fine balance between science and craft manipulation from its construction to its presentation. Though many prints utilize digital aspects, she hand carves each mark on nontraditional materials, such as masonite and pegboard, to create her unique images.
The prints began as an exploration of patterns and illusion. Incorporating many qualities inherent to the science of optics, her work investigates notions of ornament, decoration, and beauty. Through elegant layering and magnification, she examines how the repetition of patterns is used to distort information to elicit a complex sense of security. The prints thus create a safe space where the viewer can be captivated, persuaded, and seduced to contemplate the complexity and layers of contemporary existence.
In the same space, Atlanta native and Tulane University graduate Caroline Smith examines human existence through large, organic sculptures. Smith’s work finds inspiration in primitive and animalistic motivations found deep within human nature. She portrays the fundamental struggle in expressing the deep desires of the heart through the prism of the conscious mind. Her curvaceous and leafy creatures flow in familiar human gestures to tempt viewers to reconnect with their primal instincts while reminding them of the humanity so easily dismissed in others. Smith aims to “pry at those uncomfortable, awkward edges of life, between animal, plant, and human.”
Her sculptures juxtapose course earthenware, silky porcelain, and shiny gilded ornament, as a representation of the hidden beauty in the everyday life. Hostile and tender, fierce yet vulnerable, fearsome and fragile, the creatures are entangled in their own internal and external struggles.

Team Caroline + Julia!

New Orleans printmaker Teresa Cole
We loved having you, Teresa!

Last Saturday for Civic Remedies!

2009-06-27T11:27:00.004-04:00

Today is the last Saturday for the show, Civic Remedies by Scott Silvey at Whitespace. The exhibition will be open until Friday, July 3rd (closed July 4th), but for those who are busy throughout the weekday- today is your day! Don't miss out!

Also check out Yukari Umekawa's photography show itodenwa (2 cups + 1 string) concurrently showing at WhiteSpec :)

Julia and Jody at Abernathy/GA Juried Arts Show

2009-05-30T15:32:00.006-04:00

Congratulations to Julia Hill and Jody Fausett
for sweeping the top two awards at the
2009 Georgia Juried Arts Show at Abernathy!!!

Julia Hill, Best in Show

Jody Fausett, 1st Place