March 4-10, 2004

first friday focus

Sara Eichner, Blue + Green Facades, 13 1/2 inches by 19 1/2 inches, oil on panel. Pentimenti Gallery

by Lori Hill

Pentimenti Gallery

Giant white ceramic flowers pop out of one wall. Cheerful paintings of impossibly colored and angled brick facades line another. Pentimenti Gallery’s new space is full of such surprises. After more than 10 years at its Third Street location, Christine Pfister decided it was time for a change, and moved just a little east and a little north to a bigger, more open location. The space, once home to Casani Candy, is full of character -- lots of nooks and crannies, exposed brick and pipes. Besides the wide Main Gallery and room inside for office space, Pfister now has an Annex Gallery and a Project Room -- valuable opportunities for showing diverse work from one artist, or simply more space to have group shows. The first show is a winner, too. The ceramic flowers are courtesy of Nancy Blum, whose interest in plant life ranges from the erotic to the geometric. Her drawings are layered examinations of floral and plant patterns, vines and blooms intertwined in ways that look deceivingly three-dimensional. Sara Eichner provides the paintings and drawings of colorful brick facades. In this, her third solo show at Pentimenti, Eichner shows an evolution in her ongoing fascination with the sides of houses: brick, vinyl, asbestos, shingles. Alternating between flat application of slick paint and careful, detailed drawings of brick and mortar (sometimes in one work), Eichner invites the viewer to step back, above, behind, every which way around a building to truly appreciate the facades. Sometimes, it is what’s outside that counts. Reception Fri., March 5, 5-9 p.m. Exhibition runs through April 10, 145 N. Second St., 215-625-9990.

Highwire Gallery

For 15 years, Highwire Gallery has shown the work of local artists, hosted Fringe shows and served as a spoken-word, jazz and experimental-music venue. Now it's sure to do the same, only in a bigger and better space on the fourth floor of 1315 Cherry St., which also houses Vox Populi and the Fabric Workshop and Museum. But first things first, the last show at Highwire's old location is a double exhibit of the work of Ben Cohen and Lisa Spera. Cohen's spontaneous action paintings maintain a realism amid the mayhem. Strong horses, strong vehicles, strong women -- all take shape from his colorful markings. While photographer Lisa Spera leaves some of her images untouched by technology, sometimes she manipulates them digitally, creating hyperkinetic shapes and colors -- to often dizzying effect. Look out for Highwire's first exhibit in its new space, "The Shovel Show" (they assure us it has nothing to do with gardening). Reception Fri., March 5, 6-9 p.m. Exhibition runs through March 28, 137 N. Second St., 215-829-1255.

And Then There's…

Rosalyn Drexler's not only an accomplished artist and a pioneer in the pop art movement. She's also an award-winning playwright and novelist. University of the Arts' Rosenwald-Wolf Gallery is honoring both of these talents with a retrospective called "To Smithereens: Paintings 1961-2003." Her abstract and assemblage work will be on view for more than a month, and two of her one-act plays, "Room 17C" and "The Lobby," will be staged in the school's Gershman Hall. Reception Thu., March 4, 5-7 p.m., 333 S. Broad St. Performances, March 3-5, 7:30 p.m., free will offering (reservations required), Studio Theater at Gershman Hall, 411 S. Broad St., 215-717-6000. … Space 1026 hosts a traveling exhibition called "Heartswork," a site-specific installation that's already made it to Raleigh, N.C., and Tampa, Fla.; after Philly it moves on to San Jose, Calif. San Francisco Bay-area artists created the work based on the writings of Rainer Maria Rilke. Reception Fri., March 5, 6-11 p.m., 1026 Arch St., 215-574-7630. … Don't miss the Ides of March Party, a benefit for Old City Arts Association. With music from Laurent Bass, a raffle and a complimentary buffet, what better way to spend the most ominous day of the year? Mon., March 15, 6-9 p.m., $20 donation, Ristorante Panorama at Penn's View Hotel, 14 N. Front St., 215-625-9200.

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