PRESS
Rudy Shepherd
Everything in the Universe is My Brother
Rudy Shepherd’s solo exhibition features several bodies of work that are part of the artist’s ongoing investigation into the nature of evil. His portrait series depict the faces of criminals and victims of crime. Making no visual distinctions between the two, the artist explores the complexity of their stories and the gray areas between innocence and guilt.
In this way, Trayvon Martin, Kim Jong-un, Heather Heyer, and Steve Bannon are all depicted in the group. By presenting the individuals first and their stories second, Shepherd attempts to create a space for humanity to be reinserted into the lives of people who have been reduced to mere headlines in the press.
See here for the press release.
Theresa Ganz
Wave Room
Theresa Ganz’s Wave Room is a meditation on how humans cope when the social order is threatened by cataclysmic events such as natural disaster, war, or political crisis. Lining the walls of the space are digitally collaged, printed images of ancient Roman towns destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius; these are layered over with video projections of the storm surge from recent hurricanes, and a soundtrack of an electronically processed excerpt from Wagner’s ‘Twilight of the Gods,’ the final installment of the Ring Cycle, fills the room. Through this immersive, multi-media installation, visitors experience a city lost at sea.
See here for the press release.
Image caption:
(LEFT) Wave Room (detail), 2017, multi-media installation, dimensions variable. Courtesy of the artist. (RIGHT) Limousine burned by the Black Bloc during the presidential inauguration, 2017 Watercolor on paper, 38 x 42 inches. Courtesy of the artist.
These exhibitions are supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council, New York City Council Member Stephen Levin, and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, and with generous support from The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, The Robert Lehman Foundation, Iorio Charitable Foundation, Select Equity Group Foundation, many individuals and Smack Mellon’s Members.
Smack Mellon’s programs are also made possible with public funds from the National Endowment for the Arts and with generous support from The New York Community Trust, The Roy and Niuta Titus Foundation, Jerome Foundation, The Greenwich Collection Ltd, Milton and Sally Avery Arts Foundation Inc., Brooklyn Arts Council, and Exploring The Arts.
Rudy Shepherd thanks the Pennsylvania State University College of Art and Architecture for their financial support of his exhibition.
Theresa Ganz thanks the Brown Arts Initiative for their financial support of her exhibition.
Space for Smack Mellon’s programs is generously provided by the Walentas family and Two Trees Management.
