Bishop & Criswell – New Work, Istanbul 2011
Kasa
Gallery is hosting Bishop & Criswell
– New Work, Istanbul 2011, an exhibition
by Lynn Criswell and Michael Bishop from 8 April to 13 May 2011.
Lynn
Criswell and Michael Bishop are visiting faculty at Sabanci University through
June. Their permanent studio is in
Northern California where they also teach in the Department of Art and Art History at California State University, Chico. Michael Bishop is a 2010-11 Fulbright Fellow to Turkey. Their work has been exhibited extensively in
the U.S. and Europe and their studio practice extends to Art in Public Places
projects. All work for this exhibition was produced in their Sabanci University
campus studio from October 2010 thru March 2011.
The
starting point for Lynn Criswell’s new installation is the midday meal, a
highly socialized routine in the campus environment. The view is of the “higher side”– a
traditional day-in-day-out exodus to the campus-dining hall. Viewed from the perspective of a practiced
artist, Criswell presents much more than the mundane, this is a visual exposé
of seduction, work, branding and autonomy. She leads the viewer through time and space that is both linier and
nonlinear, incorporating microcosms of visual stop action gems as counterpoint
while excluding images of the crowd. One
cannot observe this work without considering the other sides of the coin.
Michael
Bishop’s new work draws in part from his near Tourette like activity of
obsessive counting, which leads in turn to the construction of monthly and
yearly calendars. All are based on the little black book he stores his data in
and the iPhoto library he carries around. At first glance, the Istanbul work seems miles apart from his work last
year– using powder coat matt surfaces on steel. However, the felt and raw plaster here provide the same anti reflective,
light sucking surface– an ongoing attempt to still the moment. The “Month of February 2011”, 108 cast
plaster boxing gloves and a photo portrait, serves as a repository for the
images as well as the events of twenty-eight days of leap year.
Opening reception: 8 April 2011 at 6:30 pm