First Friday Focus
Lori Hill's First Friday hit list.
Qbix Gallery
; "Child of Darfur (oil on canvas), by Debra Kapnek")
Child of Darfur (oil on canvas), by Debra Kapnek Photo By: Michael T. Regan (CLICK IMAGE FOR LARGER VERSION) |
In August 2005, Debra Kapnek heard former U.S. Marine Capt. Brian Steidle talk about the genocide in Darfur. She listened to him speak about the "horrific conditions." She saw his slides. She took it all in, and she picked up her paintbrush. Working from Steidle's photograph, Kapnek painted Child of Darfur, a 6- by 8-foot gridded portrait of a young boy that is quietly but unmistakably affecting. Squatting low to the sandy ground, the boy is dressed in blinding white, his hands not quite clasped and lips slightly pursed, and he's looking up at the viewer with shiny, inquiring eyes. He's studying you as much as you're studying him, and the impact is quite dramatic. Kapnek will show several of her paintings as part of Qbix Gallery's "Out of Africa" show, which will also include African artifacts. Tonight's opening reception features a conversation called "Art as a Tool for Social Action" with representatives from Darfur Alert Coalition and Global Grassroots Network; a portion of all proceeds will benefit the Coalition. Other portraits from the Darfur series include that of a human rights activist and lawyer named Salih Osman, and one of a girl wearing a tattered party dress and carrying another small girl on her back. The older girl looks prepared to tote the child for miles if necessary. In every painting, the eyes draw you into their world, and for Kapnek, that's no accident. "I begin painting on the entire canvas at once," she says. "The face evolves — as a photo does in developing solution — as I work. But the eyes are the window to the soul, and they are a crucial part of every portrait." Kapnek's been painting Africans for more than 20 years. "I began painting from my brother's photos of the people of Mali from when he was working there in the '80s," she says. "Prior to that I hadn't painted from photographs, but this compelling subject inspired me to learn how to look beyond the photograph in order to paint from it." Kapnek also received a commission from the American Association for Ethiopian Jews, which resulted in a traveling exhibition. One of the loveliest portraits, Emtithal, is as notable for its skillful layering of image and text as it is for its appealing subject. "Emtithal is a beautiful child who was born in Sudan and now lives here with her family in Philadelphia," says Kapnek. "She visited her extended family in Darfur in 2005, and she writes poetry about her feelings and experiences. The writing is actually one of her poems."
Opening reception Thu., Feb. 1, 6-9 p.m., exhibit runs through March 15, 211 Arch St., 215-625-2521, www.qbixart.com.
Nexus Gallery/The Ice Box
Since opening in 2004, Crane Arts has been positioning itself — and by default, Fishtown — as the new center of contemporary art in Philly, with large exhibition space and artist studios. Now one of the longest-running arbiters of all that is cool and boundary-breaking has joined the club, as well. Nexus Gallery packed up its Old City camp and moved it to the Crane Arts Building. It reopens this month with Jennie Thwing and Catherine Passante. Jennie Thwing's video works "Thoughts on Death" sets wildly edited, up-close-and-personal interviews to electronic music, while Catherine Passante prints digital images on domestic objects like mugs and commemorative plates for a part-kitschy, part-melancholic effect in "Win Big." Meanwhile, at The Ice Box, Ryan Trecartin, whose campy "A Family Finds Entertainment" was part of 2006's Whitney Biennial, joins with collaborator Lizzie Fitch for a sprawling nine-part installation, "Big Room Now." It seems Trecartin and Fitch are just as much directors as creators, since they actually collaborate with many artists to form dozens of scenes in this twisted mixed-media sculptural narrative. They pick up props, materials and ideas for personalities from all over, and form them into not-so-abstract scenarios with titles like "It's Over — Be More Gay" and "Do My Button" in which figures with overanimated faces and elongated arms engage in absurd activities that you can't quite forget."Thoughts on Death," "Win Big," opening reception Thu., Feb. 8, 5-9 p.m., exhibit runs Feb. 2-25, 1400 N. American St., 215-629-1103, www.nexusphiladelphia.org.
"Big Room Now," opening reception Sat., Feb. 3, 6-8 p.m., exhibit runs Feb. 1-24, 1400 N. American St., 215-232-3203, www.cranearts.com.
And Then There's...
Sue Johnson's works merge the look of 19th-century children's book illustrations and natural history texts with contemporary humor and technique. Make the trip to Swarthmore to see the adventures of Cantaloupe Girl and others in "Cabinet of Wonders: Marvelous Transformations and Other Accidental Images." Through Feb. 28, List Gallery, Swarthmore College, 500 College Ave., Swarthmore, 610-328-7811. ... Gerald Nichols' show, "Always Thinking of You," at Arcadia University, also focuses on the natural world, this time with massive fragrant wood panels, paintings, sculptures and collages. Through March 11, 450 S. Easton Rd., Glenside, 215-572-2900.
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