Poetry-Inspired art exhibition opens at the Pierro Gallery

December 12, 2012– Inspired by the poem written by Fort Lee, N.J. native, August Kleinzahler, Snow in North Jersey is a group exhibition that will begin with an opening reception on Thursday January 17, 2013 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. and remain open until Saturday, February 23, 2013 at the Pierro Gallery in South Orange. The show is curated by Brendan Carroll and organized by the Pierro Gallery.

The exhibition brings together eight contemporary artists from the greater metropolitan area that work in various mediums. Each artist explores the space between real and imagined landscape. “The artists vary in approach, style, and conceptual framework,” says Brendan Carroll. “ But they are unified by a blue collar no-frills attitude to making art. I believe this attitude is reflected in the tone of Kleinzahler's poem.”

The poem, Snow in North Jersey was chosen to be the theme of the exhibit because of its vivid imagery. “One of the motifs in Kleinzahler's poem is the collision between the natural world and industrialization,” said Carroll. “This forceful coming together of disparate entities is jarring. It’s like a fight between a stick of cotton candy and a ball peen hammer.” 

Participating artists include: Anne Percoco, Jason Seder, Karina Aguilera Skvirsky, Koji Shimizu, Lisa Dahl, Ryan Higgins, So Yoon Lym, and Tim Daly. There will be an Artist’s Talk on Thursday, February 7, 2013 from 7 p.m. until 9 p.m. Below are some highlights about each artist and his or her work.

Anne Percoco (Jersey City) will exhibit a series of collages from her series Field Studies, as well as soft fabric sculpture called Heap and a mini-slide show that is projected on a cardboard box, which features readymade sculptures made in and around the landscape outside Percoco’s studio. These works embody the artist’s mission to not create something new, but rather, to reorganize and re-conceptualize what is already there.

Jason Seder (Jersey City) will create a giant drawing inside the gallery that features organic forms inspired by his trips to the American Museum of Natural History and the urologist. Seder’s art is often a distillation of the commonplace and the absurd.

Karina Aguilera Skvirsky (Jersey City) will show a series of photographs from her new series Holland Tunnel, as well as a two-channel video called The Conversation. These works continue Skvirsky’s investigation into the act of photographing in a post-9-11 world while considering how areas under intense surveillance also serve as a backdrop for individuals’ daily lives in the largest metropolitan city in the United States.

Koji Shimizu (South Orange) will exhibit a selection of paintings from his series Suburban Landscapes. This current body of work continues Koji’s whimsical observations of his immediate surroundings.

Lisa Dahl (New York City) will present her installation Sub-Prime, which is created from contact paper, artificial grass, paper, and dowels. Sub-Prime uses the suburban home to investigate the American Dream and its associated trappings.

Ryan Higgins (Newark) will exhibit his sculpture Light Snack, which is made form fluorescent tubes, feather dusters, cast foam and firewood. Light Snack continues Higgins’ investigation of visual conversations between American household goods and materials.

Tim Daly (Hoboken) will show a painting and a drawing that depict a stone reservoir covered in snow. Each work is as much a meditation on light as it is a study in realism. Daly’s paintings and drawings are known for exploring the collision between the natural world and industrialization.

So Yoon Lym (Paterson) will show a series of mono prints from her series Bloodlines (Song Lines of Paterson), which is both an anthropological project, as well as an artistic endeavor. Lym developed this new body of work during the prestigious Keyholder Residency program at Lower East Side Printshop in New York City.

About the Curator

Brendan Carroll is an artist, writer, and independent curator from Astoria who received his BFA from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA, in 1996. His work has been exhibited in numerous museums and galleries such as Munch Gallery and The Bronx Museum of the Arts in New York City, as well as Jersey City Museum in New Jersey. His work has been reviewed by several periodicals including The New York Times and Village Voice and he has won numerous awards such as Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation Fellowship to attend Vermont Studio Center in 2001.

Since 2009, Carroll has been working with Paul and Eric Silverman to organize rotating exhibitions in the lobbies of the Majestic Theatre and Hamilton Square luxury condominiums in downtown Jersey City. His current curatorial projects include solo exhibitions of Valeri Larko and Tom McGlynn. Carroll is a regular contributor to gallery review website, Hyperallergic and has also contributed to PBS’s Art21 Blog.