NEW SHOW AT KIBBEE GALLERY!!!!
Come and see the new works of amazing Atlanta artists!
Kibbee Gallery is an alternative art space located in the Poncey-Highland neighborhood of Atlanta, Georgia for emerging artists to display their work. Open Thursday, Friday and Saturday 2pm - 6pm.
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Friday, August 10, 2012
New at Kibbee!
Same River Twice
August 4- August 31, 2012
Paintings, drawings and mixed media works by Brandon Crawford, Teresa Bramlette Reeves, and Lisa Tuttle.
Stop by =)
August 4- August 31, 2012
Paintings, drawings and mixed media works by Brandon Crawford, Teresa Bramlette Reeves, and Lisa Tuttle.
Stop by =)
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Currently on Display @Kibbee Gallery
A Celebration of Imagination
by Chris Neuenschwander
Imagination, it is what we
use to explain the things we do not understand. It is how we open a jar
of octopus while riding down the highway on a peanut butter and jelly
sandwich. Sometimes we do not want grape jelly, sometimes we just want
strawberry. That is important, we always like to have that choice.
Life is funny and far too stressful to take seriously. That is why,
when given the option, we all chose imagination over butterfly wings.
Looking back on it I do not think the butterfly wings would have been a
bad choice. That’s my one regret. Now, if only we had a can opener.
Pareidolia, the psychological phenomenon of lying on your back, staring at the sky and turning vague, random pieces of cloud information into things that we can understand. Things we want to see, things we hope to see, things we wish existed, things we think exist, and things we think we thought we saw. Stories unfold and plots play out. Hippos can fly, and penguins should dance. The moral of the story is whether something is supposed to be in the air or not, we have to suspend disbelief and accept it for what it is. Where there is a will and a way, there is a walrus who can operate a jet pack. Let us not take that away from him. He worked hard to get where he is, and where he is, is about 10,000 feet above where he should be. Do not define yourself by limitations set by others. Define yourself by popsicles and Broadway musicals. The absence of a ground plane will make your imagination go wild. There is nothing to limit and define what you are thinking or experiencing. With no frame of reference, and nothing familiar, go wild. Just make it quick, my parents will be home at eleven. Ethereal.
Pareidolia, the psychological phenomenon of lying on your back, staring at the sky and turning vague, random pieces of cloud information into things that we can understand. Things we want to see, things we hope to see, things we wish existed, things we think exist, and things we think we thought we saw. Stories unfold and plots play out. Hippos can fly, and penguins should dance. The moral of the story is whether something is supposed to be in the air or not, we have to suspend disbelief and accept it for what it is. Where there is a will and a way, there is a walrus who can operate a jet pack. Let us not take that away from him. He worked hard to get where he is, and where he is, is about 10,000 feet above where he should be. Do not define yourself by limitations set by others. Define yourself by popsicles and Broadway musicals. The absence of a ground plane will make your imagination go wild. There is nothing to limit and define what you are thinking or experiencing. With no frame of reference, and nothing familiar, go wild. Just make it quick, my parents will be home at eleven. Ethereal.
ArtsATL
Seeing the shows at Kibbee Gallery used
to be a two-shot affair: at the opening and the closing. Thankfully,
the gallery is now open Thursdays through Saturdays. I say “thankfully”
because Kibbee is one of the best places to see a mix of Atlanta artists
at various stages in their careers.
Guest curator Joe Elias Tsambiras has assembled such a group in “Echoes: Adventures in Printmaking,” which runs through April 28. The Kennesaw State University professor brings together seasoned artists such as Matthew Sugarman and talented students such as Ashlyn Pope in an exhibition that showcases wide-ranging approaches to the medium.
These artists print on anything from paper towels to stuffed animals, and a number of them liberate the print from the frame. The collective Plastic Aztecs takes to the walls in “A Whiff of Uncertainty,” in which little cut-out screen prints resembling spider webs and other bits of nature float as if in thin air, some actually jutting out from the wall.
The elements battle it out in Stephanie Smith’s ”Obscured Vision.” The University of West Georgia professor created giant woodcuts affixed to board to create an installation in which a hovering cloud dripping huge raindrops threatens to douse the campfire below.
Silk-screened pigs (the aforementioned animals) do fly, along with kites, all of which seem to be soaring out of a cardboard container like a Hydra-headed jack-in-the-box in Chris Neuenschwander’s whimsical sculpture.
Paul Rodecker uses a computer program Manga Studio, designed for drawing comics, in his “Skol” series. The images are all hand-drawn, according to gallery director Ben Goldman, and the artist pushed the limits of the software. The prints depict a large skull, which he has filled to various degrees with dense passages of imagery — body parts, flora – that evoke the “horror vacuii” of medieval arts, not to mention just plain horror. Rodecker represents a skull-and-bones Goth sensibility, one of the leitmotifs that holds the show together.
The image of the hand is a recurring image, and the sense of implied narrative is a common thread. The pieces belonging to Mariana Depetris‘ “Tale of the Handless Maiden” series exemplify both. These delicate mixed-media works, which evoke the intimacy of the artist’s private notebook, are inspired by female protagonists of dark folk tales and stories.
Tsambiras takes a page (forgive me) from medieval manuscripts in “Flow of Memories.” In this beautifully executed viscosity etching & aquatint, tendrils
and leaves of vines pierce disembodied hands and feet. The image brings
to mind the Crucifixion, but also sundry stories in which human
characters are physically melded into nature. The same theme appears in
two pieces by KSU student Ashlyn Pope, though with a more sexual
resonance.
Given all the references to archetypes, myths and medieval art, it would seem that “Echoes” is even more apt as a title than Tsambiras intended.
The exhibition also includes work by Karen Cleveland, Becky Furey, Sam Parker, Andrea Sanders and Dorothy Stucki.
Closing reception: 7-9 p.m. April 28. Home page image: Joe Tsambiras, “Flow of Wonder,” detail.
Review: “Echoes” showcases Atlanta artists’ printmaking chops
By Catherine Fox
Paul Rodecker: "Skol I," detail
Guest curator Joe Elias Tsambiras has assembled such a group in “Echoes: Adventures in Printmaking,” which runs through April 28. The Kennesaw State University professor brings together seasoned artists such as Matthew Sugarman and talented students such as Ashlyn Pope in an exhibition that showcases wide-ranging approaches to the medium.
These artists print on anything from paper towels to stuffed animals, and a number of them liberate the print from the frame. The collective Plastic Aztecs takes to the walls in “A Whiff of Uncertainty,” in which little cut-out screen prints resembling spider webs and other bits of nature float as if in thin air, some actually jutting out from the wall.
Plastic Aztecs: "Whiff of Uncertainty (detail)
The elements battle it out in Stephanie Smith’s ”Obscured Vision.” The University of West Georgia professor created giant woodcuts affixed to board to create an installation in which a hovering cloud dripping huge raindrops threatens to douse the campfire below.
Silk-screened pigs (the aforementioned animals) do fly, along with kites, all of which seem to be soaring out of a cardboard container like a Hydra-headed jack-in-the-box in Chris Neuenschwander’s whimsical sculpture.
Paul Rodecker uses a computer program Manga Studio, designed for drawing comics, in his “Skol” series. The images are all hand-drawn, according to gallery director Ben Goldman, and the artist pushed the limits of the software. The prints depict a large skull, which he has filled to various degrees with dense passages of imagery — body parts, flora – that evoke the “horror vacuii” of medieval arts, not to mention just plain horror. Rodecker represents a skull-and-bones Goth sensibility, one of the leitmotifs that holds the show together.
The image of the hand is a recurring image, and the sense of implied narrative is a common thread. The pieces belonging to Mariana Depetris‘ “Tale of the Handless Maiden” series exemplify both. These delicate mixed-media works, which evoke the intimacy of the artist’s private notebook, are inspired by female protagonists of dark folk tales and stories.
Mariana Depetris: "The Handless Maiden, #1"
Given all the references to archetypes, myths and medieval art, it would seem that “Echoes” is even more apt as a title than Tsambiras intended.
The exhibition also includes work by Karen Cleveland, Becky Furey, Sam Parker, Andrea Sanders and Dorothy Stucki.
Closing reception: 7-9 p.m. April 28. Home page image: Joe Tsambiras, “Flow of Wonder,” detail.
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Joe Tsambiras, along with 3 other artists in a collaborative exhibition, won Creative Loafing’s Reader’s Picks Award for Best Opening and Best Gallery Show in 2010. Now, opening at Kibbee Gallery on April 7th, Tsambiras has curated a group printmaking show featuring 13 Atlanta Printmakers.
ECHOES
Andrea Sanders, 3 am Train to enlightenment
Interview with Joe Elias Tsambiras
Q: Joe, can you tell us a little bit about the show you are curating at Kibbee Gallery next week.
A: Echoes gathers together thirteen artists who are working in the printmaking medium. It is a celebration of printmaking and the specific qualities it contains…
Q: What was the original idea behind organizing this show?
A: The initial idea came because I wanted to put together a book or a zine that would be a compilation of artists’ and poets’ work that, when combined together, would create a community displaying how people could coexist together in a creative, functional way... and also not be boring. That was about six years ago. That idea has formed into this group show. Books and galleries have very much in common, except that books are moving, portable galleries. Unlike a book, a gallery is less maneuverable, and yet… it’s like a stationary book with walls… and it’s also temporal.
Q: How did you choose the artists that will be in the group exhibition?
A: I knew I wanted the show to be all printmaking, so I looked to the Atlanta printmaking community first. There are so many good artists here in Atlanta, and I didn’t just want to ask anyone whose work I just felt was good. I have been thoughtful in selecting artists with a specific temperament so that when their work coexists in the show something new and interesting may emerge. Basically all of these artists not only care tremendously about what they create, but they also have the technical skills to pull off what they set out to do.
Q: Does the show’s title, Echoes, describe a common thread shared between the artist’s works that will be on view?
A: Mainly I just like the word. I think it works also because it is about repetition, which is a large part of the printmaking process. Also it is about sound and vibrations… and music is very important to me.
Q: I understand that you will also have some of your own prints in Kibbee next week. Can you tell me what those pieces are about?
A: Yes. I have two pieces in the show. They are about love, wounds, beauty, movement.
Q: Is this a theme you have been working with for a while now? And how has it changed/evolved over time?
A: Yes. I’m getting closer to what I want to portray every day. I want to create work that moves me… moves people. If I keep working hard, by age ninety I will be able to create moving pictures.
Q: In just a few words, describe what one should expect to experience when viewing the Echoes exhibition.
A: Well, technically, the full title of the show is Echoes: Adventures in Printmaking. Expect not to be bored. I’d like to think of this show like an episode of 3-2-1 Contact if anyone remembers that PBS gem.
 |
| Matthew Sugarman |
ECHOES
Featuring: Karen Cleveland, Marian Depetris, Becky Furey, Ashlyn Pope, Chris Neuenschwander, Samuel Parker, Plastic Aztecs, Paul Rodecker, Andrea Sanders, Stephanie Smith, Dorothy Stucki, Matthew Sugarman, & Joe TsambirasOpening Reception: Saturday, April 7, 6-10
* in participation with Ponce Crush gallery night*
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Check out Hidden Man this month at
7 STAGES
a play about the life of Atlanta based artist Robert Sherer
March 8-25, 2012
March 8-25, 2012
Also, while you're in the neighborhood, stop by Kibbee Gallery
to see some of Robert Sherer's
Blood Works and American Pyrography on display.
An Interview with Robert Sherer
Q: How many
hours a week do you spend working in your studio?
A: If you
combine the amount of time I spend conceptualizing with the time I spend creating
the physical product, I spend on the average about 20 hours per week in the
studio during the academic semesters.
When school
is not in session I practically live in the studio.
Q: Do you
have any special tools or devices unique to your creative process?
A: Yes, for the Blood Works pictures I
use hypodermic syringes, blood thinners, test tubes, hermetic containers,
tourniquets and lots of Band-Aids. And
for the American Pyrograph pictures I use electric wood-burning tools, a
micro torch, wood veneers, furniture stains and even more Band-Aids.
Q. Can you
describe your process with the American Pyrography series?
A. Since
the subject matter of the series concerns my youth in the 1970s, I derive my
images from classic illustrations of the period. I maintain a large digital library of source
imagery that I use for props to accessorize my pictures. The final maquette is an amalgamation of
original drawing, derivation and cut-and-paste appropriation. Once the drawing is mastered I then transfer
it to a sheet of maple veneer to create the actual wood-burning. I use an electric wood-burning tool to sear
the linear aspects into the wood and then I use various wood stains to colorize
the image. I believe that using well-known
camp craft materials and techniques adds an air of authenticity to the works.
Q: Can you
tell me a little bit about “Blood Works” and how you came to the idea to do
such a powerful series?
A: Actually,
the medium came first (due to an accident with an X-Acto razor blade) and then
the ideas came afterward. What self-respecting artist wouldn’t want to make
pictures from a jar of their own blood?
It,
however, took me a long time to realize the profundity of the medium and the
intense expressions that result from combining the blood of differing religions, races,
genders, political stances, HIV statuses.
Q: What
were you trying to elicit in the viewer with these works?
A: In the
beginning I mostly just wallowed in the confrontational aspects of the medium
and tried to shock people with the bloodiness of the blood. I didn’t really see the bigger picture until
people began to have strong emotional reactions and interpretations of the
pieces. It was only then that I began to
understand the politics of blood: the
sanguine identity of people; the juxtapositions and blending of peoples; and
ultimately the consanguinity of all people.
Q: What
projects are you currently working on?
A: Most of
my time is being spent creating works for my solo show in August for Lyman-Eyer
Gallery. I am now also in emergency mode
because I have just been informed that the Kennesaw State University Press will
publish my Blood Works art book in July and there are still 8-10 new images from
the new Blood Money series that I want in the book.
Q: Tell us
about this new series.
A: The
works are created from high-resolution images of Confederate currency. I isolate details from the dollars and subvert them to reveal the hypocrisy,
stupidity and evil of the Civil War South. To underscore the subject matter the pictures
are propped with racist ideas taught to me by my elders. It is my hope that the artworks will make
them feel betrayed by a “Son of the South”.
Q: Do you
think it is important for artists to move to a major art community like NYC to
make a name for them?
A: Yes, if
you are an untalented trust fund baby I highly recommend that you move to NYC
to buy an art career with your inheritance and family connections. Otherwise, if you are like the rest of us, it
really isn’t as important as it used to be. I believe that history isn’t going to view the
NYC art world nearly as favorably as some 20th Century dinosaurs
might hope. Really, how are we to take
seriously a city that purports to be at the helm of showcasing American art
while it steadfastly ignores almost all American art produced outside of its
city limits? Personally, I am not crazy
about Regionalism and the homogenized look of a lot of New York art can
immediately identify its origin within the neighborhood of Chelsea, Manhattan. The city’s late-empire decadence put the lid
on the coffin, and the Internet provided the nails because it is now possible
for artists to develop substantial reputations for themselves without moving to
the big city.
Q: How long
have you been teaching art at a University level and do you think a formal
education in art is important for an artist?
A: I taught
for two years in Pennsylvania, two years at Atlanta College of Art and for eleven
years at Kennesaw State University. Personally,
attending university was the best thing that ever happened to me. In fact, I love it so much that I have dedicated
my life to the academy. But, being that
one of the great influences on my life was a self-taught artist I cannot
prescribe a formal art education for everyone.
Q: What
aspect of your artwork would you say was influenced by your relationship with
Howard Finster and your experience staying at Paradise Gardens?
A: Howard
didn’t influence my artwork very much but he did teach me how to cope with loss
and to live again. During the time of
our association I was dealing with a lot of serious personal issues, including
notions of suicide resulting from the deaths of many of my friends. The play Hidden Man revisits my time
with Howard and it portrays my struggle with the voices the dead and the living
vying for my attention.
Q: In what
way do you think you may have influenced him?
A: It would
be impossible and imprudent for me to speculate upon my possible influences on
Howard Finster. I can, however, say that
he loved a lot of the ideas I expressed about the condition of being an artist,
about the art world at large, and about our relationship with nature. He especially appreciated that I had a formal
art education and was enthusiastic to share art history with him. I once brought a copy of Janson’s History
of Art to Paradise Gardens and he almost drove me crazy with his questions
about the history of art, as if he wanted me to explain the entire advent of
man in a conversation. He was a genuine
autodidact with an insatiable appetite for knowledge.
Q: Do you
have any advice for young budding artists of today’s generation?
A: Your
most valuable possession is your time.
Stop wasting it on trivial matters such as amassing “friends”. Life is not a popularity contest, especially
for artists.
Learn to be
selfish with your valuable time. Our
modern lives are filled with too much information, too many possible paths, too
many unrealistic expectations, too many distractions, too much junk, etc. It is impossible to keep up with it all. Foolish people think that they can somehow do
it all. As a result, they become
dabblers at many things and masters of nothing.
Q: If you
could live multiple lifetimes, would you choose to be a visual artist again or
would you try something else in the next life?
A. I really
can’t answer this question with any degree of certainty because all I have ever
known is the life of a visual artist. My
obsession with the visual realm is at the core of my being and is really all I would
want to possess in any speculative future life.
I suppose in three or four lifetimes I might get a little tired of being
a visual artist and would want to pursue being a polyglot, a novelist or
pianist.
 | |
| Robert Sherer in Home Studio, Marietta, GA. |
Monday, March 5, 2012
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Friday, February 24, 2012
Closing Reception to NUDE 7-9pm February, 25th 2012
| Closing reception - 7-9 pm Nude is a group show about the Human form. Styles range from traditional figural painting a drawing to abstractions of the Human body. The show includes works by Liz Webb, Shane McDonald, Kelly Murphy, Claire Paul, Marcy Starz, Kelly McKernan, Johnathon Welsh, Charles Scogins, Asia Matos, Preston Snyder, Brandon Crawford Gallery hours at Kibbee are Thru, Fri, Sat 2-6pm |
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Cold outside, Hot in Kibbee
Ashley Anderson, Melissa Faduski, Sean Abrahams, Johnathan Welsh, Kelly
O'Brien, Grace Kim, Preston Snyder, and Ben Goldman and many more! Make sure you get a chance to stop by and see the new stuff! This event will be running from the 7th until the 28th, and along with the new hours available everyone can have a chance to come through and grab a piece of their own!
Monday, January 2, 2012
Kibbee Has A Blog!
Now that the awesome opportunity to swing by an alternative art space has been established, get excited for Kibbee's first show of the new year! We've got a really interesting show planned featuring the illustrations from a variety of artists, once again, from the local Atlana-metro area. This is what Kibbee is all about, supporting the arts and the community!
So, local public, here is exactly where you come in: the new blog! Let Kibbee know what you think of all the new changes. Join our blog, share our blog, and comment on what you are interested in hearing more about. Do you want to see some teasers of the new shows coming up? Do you want to read about some of our featured artists? Let us know!
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