Tuesday, June 24, 2008

GIRLISH WAYS-THE NEXT GENERATION OF FEMALE ARTISTS

THE BOBBY FISHER MEMORIAL BUILDING PRESENTS

GIRLISH WAYS
THE NEXT GENERATION OF FEMALE ARTISTS

A selection of eleven artists under the age of 35 investigate how contemporary lifestyles effect and re-define the women of this generation.

Curated by Rachel Fick and Marissa Botelho

Opening Reception: Saturday, June 28th, 7-10pm
1644 North Capitol Street NW, Washington DC 20002
June 28th - July 13th, 2008
(Open on Saturday and Sundays 12pm-5pm, and by appointment)

Sponsored by ArtCadeForum.com and the Pink Line Project
with live performance art and local music talent. Amber Hawk Swanson, To Have, Cake Cut, 2007

Satomi Shirai, Hunter College MFA Candidate 2009, uses large scale photography to depict cultural connections and disconnections that were results of moving from Japan to New York City.

Amy Misurelli Sorensen, American University MFA 2008, paints multiple face masks as consequences to distorted images of female sexuality imposed by an Italian Catholic upbringing.

Amber Hawk Swanson, School of the Art Institute of Chicago MFA 2006, explores the interplay between repulsion, desire, and surrender. By inserting a sexually available replica of herself into already charged environments, the possibility of peril often interrupts allegiance to the social codes of each space.

Pierrette Montone, Corcoran College of Art + Design BFA 2008, creates a playful mural on femininity in a post-feminist generation.

Lauren Bender, received a BS in Honors Painting at Towson University 2003, performs CorpOreo a piece that investigates the self/other and a breakdown of communication, influenced by the real-life experience of being a twin.

Sara Hubbs, the George Washington University MFA 2008, installs Hides 'N Heels, a sculpture that deals with concepts of place, commerce, and notions of femininity as seen through two opposing viewpoints; one of a frontier-like mentality and one in search of authenticity or essence.

Trish Tillman, School of Visual Arts MFA Candidate 2009, uses deceptively simple linework, bright colors, and abstracted yet familiar forms in her drawings and overflowing closet sculpture to seduce the viewer into confronting themes of personal growth, psychological confinement, and self-imposed displacement.

Meg Onli, School of the Art Institute of Chicago BFA 2008, exhibits preliminary drawings and letters that have led to a current month-long performance that entails retracing the steps of a mulatto lesbian on the Underground Railroad between Rockville, Maryland and the historical settlement of Dawn, Canada. The walk began on June 3rd, 2008 and is anticipated to end in early July, 2008.

Pamela Norrish, Alberta College of Art + Design BFA Candidate 2009, displays an array of delicate music boxes that resemble female body parts. These seemingly childish toys hold uncomfortable female expectations as the viewer winds up the box and puts it into motion.

Zoe Blackwell, California College of Art BFA 2008, shows embroidered poly-satin swatches that explore our human tendencies to recognize and assign code, pattern, secrecy, and preciousness. Simple tags hang quietly off of each swatch to push and pull the meanings of the embroidered words into a myriad of directions.

Lauren Rice, American University MFA 2008, uses found objects that have masculine and feminine connotations to transform one of the second floor galleries into a space that is both gaudy and beautiful.

Roxxanne Reed, Corcoran College of Art + Design BFA Candidate 2009, uses the films of Kenneth Anger in a futile attempt to eradicate any trace of femininity in a recontextualized video that begins in the realm of dreams and ends in the peace of sleep.


The Bobby Fisher Memorial Building is pleased to announce the opening of Girlish Ways: The Next Generation of Female Artists, an exhibition examining how contemporary lifestyles effect and re-define the women of this generation. The exhibition recognizes exceptional female art students and graduates of BFA and MFA institutions around the United States and Canada. Girlish Ways explores youthful and mature concerns of the women involved, as well as how these women respond to their changing environments. Various issues are investigated, including cultural re-location, sexuality, public image, and post-feminism. Girlish Ways uses a range of subtle and overtly post-feminist art to engage the viewer in this diverse generation of women artists. The exhibition consists of a multitude of media and a live performance on the opening night by Lauren Bender.

@ The Bobby Fisher Memorial Building
1644 North Capitol Street @ Florida Ave

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