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Chere Krakovsky: The Neighbors Next Door


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Published: Mar 12, 2008

Mon.-Sun., March 17-23, 10 a.m.-8 p.m., free, International House, 3701 Chestnut St., 215-387-5125, ihousephilly.org

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For many artists, the line between work space and living space can become blurred. For New York-based artist Chere Krakovsky, the line has disappeared altogether. Work is home, or home is work — in either case, saying that Krakovsky's work invites an audience into her own life is entirely accurate.

For a week, the artist will re-create her East Village kitchen within the confines of I-House, transforming viewers into neighbors dropping in for a cup of coffee and a bit of conversation. This isn't the first time Krakovsky has been a literal local "artist in residence" — last June, she transplanted her living room into the Abington Art Center as part of its "Habitat" exhibition.

"By bringing my kitchen into a public space and inviting the viewer/audience in to sit with me at my kitchen table, I change the audience/artist relationship," she says. "My presence in my own kitchen at International House is the performance, and it evolves as conversation with others becomes an opportunity for us each to share something of ourselves."

Krakovsky's Web site hosts photos of the artist handing out white roses on New York streets, exploring the reaction of passersby to an act of kindness as confrontation (or, at least, engagement). "The Neighbors Next Door" intends to do the opposite, finding the everyday in the event rather than vice versa, taking on the rapidly changing notion of "neighbors" in a world where instant communication brings people scattered across the globe into virtual proximity — even if they can't quite borrow a cup of sugar.