Currently on view at George Eastman House are 13 photographic diptychs that Chicago-based photographer Dawoud Bey created to commemorate 6 children killed in Birmingham, Alabama, on September 15, 1963. Each of Bey’s diptych portraits — of which 16 were created — juxtapose boys and girls the same ages of the victims (11, 13, 14, and […]
Art
Posted inArts & Entertainment
“Infinity Boxes” by Matt Elson
For a limited time, Memorial Art Gallery is hosting several installations starring your face and mine. Peer inside each of nine “Infinity Boxes,” created by L.A.-based artist Matt Elson, and your countenance temporarily becomes part of a kaleidoscopic, optical illusion created by carefully positioned mirrors, lights, flowers, candles, and other bits of pretty interest. Four […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Robert Burley: “The Disappearance of Darkness”
In “The Disappearance of Darkness,” Canadian photographer Robert Burley explores the rapid dissolution of film manufacturing — and film-related industries — as digital photography technology became more commercially accessible to the masses in the mid-2000’s. The show’s work itself straddles the line between the two worlds; Burley shot the images on sheet film, then scanned […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Elegy to an era
Two current exhibits at George Eastman House, held in conjunction, explore the history of imaging innovations from Kodak’s early days up through the present, and show an artistic documentation of the end of film manufacturing. Together, these exhibits provide a full picture of the imaging history of Image City, Rochester’s hand in the development of […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Emerging artists 2014
It’s a daunting task to start a map-less career in this modern world, with its perpetual insanity. It’s easy to feel entirely adrift. Each year, City Newspaper highlights four Rochester artists who are beginning to come into their own, and are plotting their own course. The following four emerging artists — Brittany Williams, Kim “YEWS” […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
“Devil’s in the Details”
There are many ways the concept of the devil has been depicted throughout time and within popular culture: the cloven-hoofed, goat-faced Baphomet; the seductive, fallen angel; the serpent; the feminine temptress; or with an indirect presence, through possession. Erich Lehman, who is celebrating the sixth anniversary of his 1975 Gallery with a devil-themed group art […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Question Bridge Coverage 2014
“Question Bridge: Black Males” is a transmedia project that seeks to facilitate dialogue between black men of diverse and contending backgrounds by creating a platform for them to represent and redefine black male identity in America. Through November 16, Rochester Contemporary is presenting the “QB:BM” video installation, and will host a weekly conversation series led […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Of earth and time
Genesee Pottery’s annual “History in the Making” exhibit provides a fascinating opportunity to see a range of great work by contemporary ceramicists from around the nation. The educational showcase also provides a specific look at the historic practices and techniques from which these artists draw influence. This year’s show, juried by Fred Herbst, professor of […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Ecstatic impressions
One function of art for the artist is fulfilling the urge to interpret and recreate what sings to us. Somewhere within the steady work of this practice, we better understand and feel more fully part of this strange and magnificent place, and share what we see and value with others. Creating is essentially an act […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Connecting the spectrum
“Question Bridge: Black Males” October 3 through November 16 Rochester Contemporary Art Center, 137 East Avenue Opening reception: October 3, 6 to 10 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday: 1-5 p.m., Friday: 1-10 p.m. | $2, free to members | 461-2222; rochestercontemporary.org When giving public talks about the video project, “Question Bridge: Black Males,” artist and educator […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Art Review: “The Opposite of Concrete”
Abstract art is a challenge to approach, and more than once I’ve overheard a frustrated dismissal of the entire genre. But the reward of spending time with a bewildering puzzle can be great. The various reasons that abstract art is important are explored in a fascinating letter by art critic Jerry Saltz. Abstraction is a […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
“New Ghosts for a New Age: Yoshitoshi’s ‘New Forms of 36 Ghosts'”
When the long-isolated Japanese society was opened to the West in 1868, fundamental shifts in the social structure, politics, military, and economy transpired. Master woodcut artist Tsukioka Yoshitoshi was an eyewitness to the conflict and change, and while many artists of his day reflected these shifts, Yoshitoshi spent his final years immortalizing Japan’s history and […]
