PICTURING POLITICS 2008 at Arlington Arts Center
2008 EXHIBITIONS SCHEDULE AAC
August 15 –September 27, 2008 (Reception September 5)
PICTURING POLITICS 2008:
Artists Speak to Power
Curated by Rex Weil
Artists: Helga Thomson, Renee Stout, Jose Ruiz, Rick Reinhard,
The Pinky Show, Jefferson Pinder and Matt Ravenstahl,
Randall Packer and John Anderson, Independence Fund's
Veterans Art Project and the National Vietnam Veterans Art Museum,
Alberto and Victoria Gaitan, Benjamin Edwards, Mary Coble,
Judy Byron, Lisa Blas, Wendy Babcox and Meg Mitchell
Show Dates: August 15 - September 27, 2008
Reception: Friday, September 5, 6:00 - 9:00pm
Location: Arlington Arts Center, 3550 Wilson Blvd, Arlington VA
Metro: Orange Line: Virginia Square
Gallery hours: Tuesday - Saturday, 11 am - 5 pm
At the Arlington Arts Center this August and September, Washington independent curator, artist, teacher, and critic Rex Weil will present a show focused on the intersection of politics and art-terrain that seldom seems to be explored by artists and galleries in and around the nation's capital.
Picturing Politics 2008 will supply a corrective, examining a wide array of strategies used in the contemporary visual arts for addressing controversial issues and promoting progressive social change-all against the backdrop of a political landscape dominated by mass media.
Nine individual artists and five collaborative projects will be included in seven separate gallery spaces on two floors of the AAC.
The artists and their work:
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Jose Ruiz: installation addressing the struggles of immigrant workers in Northern Virginia with issues of identity, class and intolerance
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Randall Packer and John Anderson: multi-media environment featuring video, sound, images culled from mass media, and a gravesite for American democracy
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Alberto and Victoria Gaitan: video and sound installation exploring the politics of sexual identity
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Mary Coble: video from her Aversion series, exploring the history of using electroshock therapy to "treat" homosexuality
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Lisa Blas: installation and sculpture riffing on 'men on horses' monuments and other symbols of domination and power
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Judy Byron: installation and sound, highlighting women's personal and political priorities
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Rick Reinhard: photographs documenting political demonstrations in the Metro Washington, DC area
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Benjamin Edwards: prints depicting a hyper-real version of the local landscape and the instruments of power and commerce it reflects
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Jefferson Pinder and Matt Ravenstahl: their new performative video, Passive Resistance, investigates the human capacity to resist and maintain dignity in the face of violence
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Wendy Babcox and Meg Mitchell: project featuring video projection, RSS feeds, and information from viewer polling updated in real time concerning issues of war and peace in the Middle East
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Helga Thomson: prints from the Argentinean-born, Maryland-based artist's Here's Looking at You series highlighting issues of survelliance, identity cards and fear of a dystopian future
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Renee Stout: prints and sculptures, including her print, Lunch at the Bush Whitehouse
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The Pinky Show: the popular internet phenomenon featuring Pinky and Bunny, two cartoon cats who talk about public policy, will be represented by prints, paraphernalia, and a YouTube station
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Independence Fund's Veterans Art Project and the National Vietnam Veterans Art Museum: photographs and video taken by veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, depicting the daily lives of military personnel and civilians in conflict zones
THE CURATOR:
Rex Weil teaches Theories of Art and Contemporary Art Theory at the University of Maryland, College Park. He is Contributing Editor for ARTnews, where he has published over 200 reviews and essays. His most recent curatorial projects were exhibitions of Michael Platt and Yuriko Yamaguchi at the University of Maryland Art Gallery.
