Exhibition

signs and symbols: artists & allies III

1 Aug 2020 – 15 Sep 2020

Regular hours

Monday
Closed
Tuesday
10:00 – 18:00
Wednesday
10:00 – 18:00
Thursday
10:00 – 18:00
Friday
10:00 – 18:00
Saturday
10:00 – 18:00
Sunday
10:00 – 18:00

Timezone: America/New_York

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Online

Hosted by: Mitra Khorasheh

signs and symbols is delighted to present artists & allies, the third edition of our annual summer program — a dynamic exhibition of time-based media — video works, video documentation of performances, live streamed-performances and sound.

About

signs and symbols is delighted to present artists & allies, the third edition of our annual summer program — a dynamic exhibition of time-based media — video works, video documentation of performances, live streamed-performances and sound. Conceived as an experimental glimpse into our program and upcoming season, our annual summer exhibition is comprised of a selection of works by artists of the gallery, along with ally artists who contribute to our discourse. Since we cannot gather for a month-long marathon of daily live performances and screenings, this year's iteration is online only, with works that lend themselves to our new virtual reality.

signs and symbols has always been ‘a space of experimentation, collaboration and the development of new work.’ This is the first sentence penned years ago when conceptualizing its ethos. And now, as we find ourselves in the midst of a global pandemic, while we continue to ponder the world and have our daily panic attacks — the importance of community has never been clearer. Our artists continue to make new work and support our program from their individual solitudes around the world. This year's ‘allies’ consists of artists who are close to my heart and our program, who have collaborated with our artists, and whose works inform and inspire our artists and our mission. The selection of works are both new and old — new works made by artists during lockdown along with historic works and projects we find ourselves revisiting now. They are inquisitive, unpredictable and timely responses and solutions using only creativity and what we have on hand.

Narrated by the legendary Brian O’Doherty, we enter a space in which none of the laws that govern our daily lives seem to matter anymore. The rhythmic dance of a boxer caresses you with his fists. A father and son weed a suburban lawn. Alter egos appear in drag. A bicycle wagon distributes ice cream and artist zines. We take a stroll through a magical woodland to the haunting melody of a waltz. The personal experience of motherhood is explored through movement, storytelling and song. Former characters make cameo appearances, while others are recontextualized from previous works into hypnotic new visual essays. We go from an explorative adventure meandering through the hidden undergrounds of Berlin, to a vacant theater in Bilbao, to the discrete movement of creatures dotted around a mudflat in Korea. We listen to a polyphony of ideas, avowals and utterances from the people of New York. We ponder the ambivalent and ambiguous relationship between authority and social reality. The absurdity of human relationships. The melodramas of existence and alternate realities. We contemplate the environment, and our changing relationships to technology. In our collective crises, gestures and self-awareness become the ritual for healing. Ghosts from the past are resurrected and enter the present in order to speak about future utopias.

Devised with the intent for dialogue, overlap and exchange, artists & allies is not a singular position, but presents a diverse assemble of style and substance from artists with unique sensibilities, and doubles as a snapshot and overview of our program and entry point to many of its strongest voices. Enjoy! xx
 

participating artists include:

adam broomberg | jen denike | michelle handelman | joan jonas | carol szymanski
tony orrico | rachel libeskind | jeewi lee | donna conlon | JAŠA | itziar barrio | kalup linzy
annabel daou | ornella fieres | miles greenberg | nicholas grafia + mikołaj sobczak | ULAY
mischa leinkauf | guy de lancey | melinda jean myers | shelley marlow | fawz kabra
gabriel cyr | isak berbic | brian o’doherty
 

performances and happenings:

Monday, August 3 | Shelley Marlow | performance | 7pm | Instagram Live @signssymbols

Monday, August 10 | Jen DeNike with Nicholas Grafia & Mikołaj Sobczak | artist talk | 2pm | Instagram Live @signssymbols

Thursday, August 20 | Mischa Leinkauf | performance documentation | 6pm | online signsandsymbols.art

Friday, August 31 | Fawz Kabra, Isak Berbic & Nur Kabra Berbic | happening onsite | Time TBA | 102 Forsyth Street in front of the gallery

Friday, September 11 | Annabel Daou | performance | Time TBD | Instagram Live @signssymbols

Saturday, September 12 | Melinda Jean Myers | performance | 8pm | Instagram Live @signssymbols

CuratorsToggle

Mitra Khorasheh

Exhibiting artistsToggle

Jeewi Lee

Donna Conlon

Ulay

Nicholas Grafia + Mikołaj Sobczak

Jen DeNike

Kalup Linzy

Adam Broomberg

Itziar Barrio

Michelle Handelman

Ornella Fieres

Annabel Daou

Jasa Mrevlje

Mischa Leinkauf

Rachel Libeskind

Rachel Libeskind

Tony Orrico

Miles Greenberg

Joan Jonas

Carol Szymanski

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