Isaac Powell: September 25 through November 6, 2010

Isaac Powell
Opening: Saturday, September 25 from 8pm to 10pm
through November 6, 2010

Powell's art making process is based upon the conflict and the problem solving of visual equations. Typically, he sets up problems for himself; these oppositions can pertain to the subject matter of the piece or could be conceptual or formal. Often, throughout the development of the work, collisions happen between many different types of problems. Powell finds that in the process, vitality happens when he is able to solve both the organic and the self-imposed visual equations at the same time. Often, the image retains the leftover residue, and the important visual trajectories of the initial problem or equation. This visual evidence is necessary to activate the work.

A secondary conflict Powell feels compelled to deal with is that of his own physical 'handicap'. It is important that he displaces this physical handicap by creating highly crafted hand made supports and structures for his paintings and drawings.

About Isaac Powell:
Isaac Powell is a recent graduate of the MFA program at Washington State University who now teaches Painting and Drawing at Eastern Kentucky University. Powell interweaves the themes of life, growth, reproduction, and creativity with those of his own personal history in his still life depictions and topographic reproductions. Having been born without a right hand, the flora in his work directly references the body, its appendages and digits. By addressing his own anxieties through the imagery of plant cuttings and graftings, he has developed his own vocabulary for confronting both awkwardness and beauty.

To see more of his artwork, please visit: www.isaacpowell.com

Venue info:
Gallery 1724
1724 Bissonnet St.
Houston, Texas 77005
713-582-1198

Smitty Regula: September 25 through November 6, 2010

Smitty Regula
Opening Saturday, September 25 from 8pm to 10pm.
through November 6, 2010.

Following the design revolution of appliances of the 1950’s, Joseph Buttle, a dreamer and schemer, created ShrineCo. in 1953. His dream was to make worship easier and more efficient, and sell this door to door. He did this with his patented shrines, a shrine for any icon, belief, or denomination of religion. Regula, eagerly following in Buttle’s footsteps has researched and carefully reproduced in his own artistic interpretation replicas of only a hand full of the hundreds of shrines Buttle produced and sold.

About Smitty Regula:
Smitty Regula was born in 1976, grew up, and has had many unsuccessful endeavors in his life. He started off quite a while ago informing the public about identity theft from major corporations. Smitty then joined a cult who tried to remanufacture the idea of American consumerism. After this he pushed “grind”, a failed street drug. Regula is presently attempting to follow in the footsteps of “Joseph Buttle” by selling custom shrines door to door. Now Regula drives a chicken.

To learn more about Smitty visit: www.smittyregula.com
Venue info:
Gallery 1724
1724 Bissonnet St.
Houston, Texas 77005
713-582-1198

Wash Day

Wash is a performance about cleansing, ritual and intimacy. A full day at Gallery 1724 in Houston, Texas was devoted to the washing of hair including anointing with oils. There were twenty participants and numerous observers. It was a nicely paced day of washing and talking. During Wash, conversations included memories of September 11, 2001, memories of having their hair washed by their mothers, and the love and pampering of having their hair washed by someone else. We also discussed comparisons to foot washing and baptism, vulnerability, and the intimacy of touch, particularly to the head.

The performance was documented through photographs and sound.




Above photo courtesy of Dean Liscum and Sophie Simons.


Photos courtesy of: Heather Korb, Dean Liscum, Merilee Minshew, Sophie Simons, and Emily Sloan.

Floor before, with foils...

Floor after, foils with imprint from traffic...

Emily Sloan: Wash---one day only, September 11, 2010

Wash is a one day performance of the washing of hair. Wash will be performed by Emily Sloan and the participating audience. Recent performance work by Sloan includes Napping Affects Performance, an ongoing project including performances inspired by/while napping which launched at Art League Houston this past May 2010. Sloan also organized this summer's "Salon des Refusés", an exhibition of artworks rejected from Lawndale Art Center's "The BIG Show."

Wash will take place on Saturday, September 11, 2010 from 9am to 5pm at Gallery 1724, 1724 Bissonnet St. (between Dunlay and Woodhead), Houston, Texas, 77005.

“It is the ritual situation which makes the hair “powerful”, not the hair which makes the ritual powerful.” --E. R. Leach

This event is free and open to the public.