First Friday Focus
Lori Hill's First Friday Hit List
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Proximity Gallery
Benjamin Long specializes in intriguing juxtapositions in his work, and the artist himself is an example of one. His photographic work combines several images, shot in a variety of film formats on vintage cameras, into one carefully considered final composition. They appear organized, almost academic. On the other hand, his paintings, while still combining disparate imagery, have a wildly different aesthetic, one that is free-flowing and high-spirited and emotionally, rather than intellectually, driven. His dreamlike, surrealistic compositions keep the viewer guessing: A carefully manicured tree resides with an empty chair and a water tower, while elongated, balloonlike shapes float elegantly over it all (pictured). The artist appears to revel in creating what Proximity calls "a hidden connectedness in a seemingly random environment." Who knows — perhaps Long, who with his wife, Lara, owns Plaid Pony Vintage in Fishtown, gets painting ideas from his day job bringing the past to the present, blending the bizarre with the beautiful. Opening reception Fri., May 1, 6-9 p.m., through May 31, 2434 E. Dauphin St., 267-825-2949, proximityart.com.
Living the creative life usually requires a bit of social networking, and Brooklyn transplants Colin and Andrea Wohl Keefe are fully embracing this fact for their inaugural show. The couple are using the carriage house of their Mount Airy home as an informal exhibition space. Their first show, called "and so on and so forth," started with the idea of working "with people you trust, and trust them to make decisions you can believe in," says Colin. They asked two artists, Wendy Wolf (from Philly) and Robert Walden (from New York), to participate. Wolf and Walden then each asked two artists to join them, and so the first show will also include Ana Hernández, Althea Murphy-Price, Patty Cateura and Robert Lansden. Wolf's monochromatic, repetition-driven works blend naturalistic elements with a slight, cool formalism (see her Web site for documentation of her wonderful installation work inspired by local arboreal life). They prove a Zen-like partner to Walden's similarly controlled works on paper. The artist creates "ontological road maps" on pastel grounds that chart routes of cities real and projected, and pairs them with "surveillance maps," or paintings of digitally photographed details of the road maps. All of the artists have fresh, inspired work that should sit well in the Keefes' community-minded venture, which they are calling "a labor of love." They hope to plan programming that will generate conversation and "connectivity" between artists and communities both in Philly and in other cities. Opening reception Fri., May 1, 6-9 p.m., free, runs through June 6 (call for hours), 25 W. Mount Airy Ave., 215-764-5621, mountairycontemporary.com.
Philly native Sharon Louden digitally animates her drawings, working from the simplest artistic element — the line. The result is what you would imagine, a drawing in motion, but with the surprising feeling that you are floating along with the drifting shapes. Like paper in the wind, the figures are carried away, fading in and out of shadow and light. In the vault, Gallery Joe will show Louden's videos as well as a series of drawings from the animation "The Bridge." In the main gallery, Nicole Phungrasamee Fein shows 15 watercolor drawings of squares building one upon the other in soft grays and whites. Fein passes her brush over the paper over and over again to create a sense of depth and weight not normally seen in the sheer, light nature of watercolor. The show's title, "Shift," relays the artist's goal to impart a feeling of motion into each piece. The measured geometry of the overlapping squares is balanced by the gentle palette and technique. Opening reception Fri., May 1, 6:30-8:30 p.m., through June 27, 302 Arch St., 215-592-7752, galleryjoe.com.
Continuing at 333 South, one of the vacant storefronts thankfully transformed into exhibition space is "Colorevolution" from Sage Projects. Nic Coviello, Michelle Marcuse, Karen Baumeister, James Erikson and Paul Behnke experiment with color and light, while upstairs the rest of the Sage crew does its own painting-and-assemblage thing. Through May 3 (open First Friday till 8 p.m.), 333 South St. ... Anna Neighbor, Chad States and Leah Bailis explore the boundaries between the public and the private using a variety of media at FLUXspace with the exhibition "Taking Measures." Discussion with artists, Tue., May 5, 7 p.m., exhibit through May 10, 3000 N. Hope St.
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