New Currents in Contemporary Art
Brad Reagan: Octopus, 2008; metal, expanding foam, sculpy, wood knobs, wire, googley eyes, acrylic, shellac, foam, and celluclay. Courtesy of the artist.
Lori Esposito: Organs of Touch, 2008; acrylic on panel. Courtesy of the artist.
Taj Forer: Boys with Chihuahua, Cedar Gove, North Carolina, 2007; color print. Courtesy of the artist. (c) 2007 Taj Forer.
Cat Manolis: Action Pants, 2007; foam, thread, sequins, and steel powered by gear motor. Courtesy of the artist.
Ellie Pierson: Overlapping Leaves, 2007; video. Courtesy of the artist.
Natalia Vega-Forero; Courtesy of the artist.
Photo of the artists
The Ackland presents an exhibition of new works by the graduating class of Master of Fine Arts students at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. New Currents in Contemporary Art (April 12 - May 11, 2008) includes paintings, sculpture, installation, video, and color photography by emerging artists noted for their fresh perceptions of contemporary life, innovative use of media and techniques, and attention to craftsmanship.
The artists - Taj Forer, Cat Manolis, Lori Esposito, Ellie Pierson, Brad Reagan, and Natalia Vega-Forero - represent many facets of the contemporary art world today and give viewers the chance to see some of the art world's rising stars first.
Photographer Taj Forer, Artist in Residence at the North Carolina Contemporary Art Museum in 2007, is a co-founder of Daylight Magazine and has recently published a book of his photographs, Threefold Sun. The exhibition will feature works from his project concentrating on the community in Cedar Grove, North Carolina.
Inspired by musicals and other genre films, Cat Manolis pulls viewers into the realm of fantasy with a group of sculptures she calls "costume objects for cinematic cross dressing." The exhibition includes a pair of lederhosen created in response to The Sound of Music which are made of black rubber, leather, and metal, and hang from the ceiling on extremely elongated suspenders, prompting viewers to imagine themselves climbing in.
Ellie Pierson's intentionally layered and seemingly random installations of disparate objects - a white armchair, a twisted pile of raspberry-lavender colored papers, a white frosted cake with candied flowers cascading off the top - challenge viewers to make sense of the way humans construct their world from natural and artificial materials. Pierson's videos of hands cutting broccoli, holding a cabbage, or sorting tobacco pose questions about how people relate to the natural world and how an artist prods a culture with conscience.
Working with and against nature, Brad Reagan creates colorful abstract works dotted with candy-striped metal flowers. Stylized and artificial, the flowers jut aggressively from the objects and seem to spin around sculptures attached by pick-up sticks. The shiny, consumer appeal of Reagan's work recalls decorative domestic products. In Reagan's work, the playful becomes profound.
Lori Esposito's evocative acrylic landscapes suggest underwater worlds, geologic forms, plant life, waves, or atmospheric effects.
Natalia Vega-Forero uses non-traditional materials - including aromatic coffee, honey, chocolate, unpainted wood, cotton, straight pins, and pillows - in installations that recall memories of her South American upbringing.
The opening reception for New Currents in Contemporary Art is April 11, from 6 - 8 PM, at the Museum. Admission is free. There will be beverages, food, and a live DJ. On Wednesday, April 16, from 1 - 2PM, exhibition Curator Chris Huber will discuss the exhibition with the artists in the Museum (free to Museum members, $5 non-members).