June 18 – July 23, 2016
Featuring work by artists Matthew Bourbon, Beau Comeaux, Rachel Fischer, Bradley Kerl, and Abby Sherrill
Rudolph Blume Fine Art/ArtScan Gallery will feature the exhibition Dialogue curated by well-known artist Howard Sherman. Sherman has kept a close eye on the contemporary art scene for years - especially in Texas. The catalyst for Dialogue was ignited by the artist’s ceaseless study and exploration of his contemporaries’ own works. The chosen selection reflects a broad array of artwork that ties into Sherman’s own varied interests and creative inspirations.
“So often art–in any medium–is given clichéd classifications. I’ve experienced this personally. I feel these arbitrary labels get in the way of seeing the subtleties of certain art. This exhibition is a chance to view the work through the ingredients of its making and not some tired terminology.”
Pieces in the exhibition intermingle with each other throughout the various rooms in the gallery. This idea proposes that common threads will begin to appear between the different works, ultimately generating surprising new dialogue.
Matthew Bourbon makes a conscious choice not to choke the viewer with obvious narrative. Instead, he uses a combination of unexpected vignettes with strange iconography to create open ended stories allowing the viewer to come to his or her own conclusions. Bourbon is an Associate Professor of Painting and Drawing at the University of North Texas. He is a contributing writer for Art Forum, Art News, Art Lies, Glasstire and is the On-Air Art Critic for KERA, Public Radio 90.1. He has an extensive exhibition history and was recently named a Fulbright Specialist Candidate.
Beau Comeaux’s moody nighttime photographs present architecture in a novel way that explores grids and other geometric patterns. There are construction sites, too. The viewer becomes witness to destruction and construction. Comeaux has been photographing at night for over fifteen years. His work has been shown in the United States as well as Saratov, Russia and Pingyao, China and included in the books, Night and Low Light Photography by Jill Waterman (Amphoto Books) and Texas Artists Today by Catherine Anspon (Marquand Books). Comeaux was an Assistant Professor of Photography at Sage College of Albany from 2009-2015.
Rachel Fischer’s sculptures are bulbous wall mounted subjects with fetish finishes. Their unorthodox use of seemingly disparate materials leads to intriguing juxtapositions. They create frisson by sexing up the incongruent. Fischer received her M.F.A. from the University of North Texas. Her work has been featured in Fresh Paint magazine and she’s recently been featured in Sinking, Sinking, Sinking: SDAI Winter Exhibition at the San Diego Art Institute. She is the co-director of Brick Haus Collective.
Bradley Kerl’s paintings similarly transcend familiar subject matter with his deft touch and distinctive execution. His play on formal perspective and Modernist art history opens up an intriguing dialogue.
Kerl received his M.F.A. from the University of Houston and has had recent exhibitions at Art Palace Gallery in Houston.
Abby Sherrill’s installations reference drawings and grids in a more conceptual way. Repositioning items in unexpected ways, she takes culturally loaded subject matter and positions it for a fresh analysis. Sherril is the recipient of Nasher Sculpture Center Artist Microgrant in 2015 for Brick Haus Collective where she is the co-director. She teaches Design and Fibers at the University of North Texas.
An extensive essay by Howard Sherman will be included in the catalog for Dialogue.