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 Over My Dead Body: A Collaborative Installation about Artistic Survival
RECEPTIONS: Phase I: Creation - Saturday, August 13, 7-10pm Phase II: Connection -- Saturday, August 20, 5-8 pm Curated by Hava Liberman and Laura Boles Faw  What happens when you revamp the idea of an "exquisite corpse" to make a group installation that unfolds to occupy an entire gallery? Instigation, chance, and spirited play will ensue in Over My Dead Body, an installation based, collaborative exhibition inspired by the Surrealist parlor game of the Exquisite Corpse, in which members of a group add to a piece without seeing that which came before. The emphasis is on collaboration, and the rules dictate that the artists work in groups, focus on one of several physical and creative necessities of surviving as an artist, and must connect their work to each other in some fashion. The Rules (as decided by artists over the course of an evening of food and drink): 1) Each group will choose a theme based on the needs for artistic survival and work collaboratively on their piece before installation begins. 2) Installation of work will be simultaneous and work will not be concealed during installation. (The group felt that the unveiling would occur naturally as the installation proceeds.) 3) Each group is responsible for working with the groups next to them to make a cohesive connection between separate projects. 4) There are no limitations on materials or process. Artists often sacrifice stability as they commit wholeheartedly to their art practices. One means of artistic survival is through collaboration, dialogue with and support from other artists. As Tom Holert discusses in his recent essay in ARTFORUM, collaborative work has “historically enabled alternative modes of subjectivity” . He quotes from feminist artist Mina Schor’s essay "On Creativity and Community”, stating that “the particular activation of the individual immersed in a collective with a shared goal entails ‘a peculiar relief in going outside the self”. It is the goal of the curators of Over My Dead Body to offer its participating artists this relief. The title of the show references artists’ passionate belief in art making and their protectiveness over their pursuit. Unfortunately, this pursuit is threatened if the artist’s basic needs for survival are not met. Some of the needs, both physical and emotional, addressed by the artists in this show are language, respiration, flexibility of persona, confidence, security, relationships, job, sex, recognition, and excretion. In the installation, the needs are connected, and as in a body, the parts cannot be isolated without endangering the integrity of the whole. This evolving exhibition will have two phases: Phase I: Creation, in which artists view others’ work for the first time and Phase II: Connection, which reveals the changes that take place as artists connect their work. In the spirit of the Surrealists, the exhibition will involve food, drink, performance, and participatory work. Artists will be available to discuss work and socialize with visitors during Artist Hours on Thursday and Friday afternoons as well as during the two receptions. Through collaboration and the surprise inherent in the making and viewing of an exquisite corpse, Over My Dead Body will offer a contemporary take on the generative process of artists. Artist Collaborative Groups: Luca N Antonucci & Carissa Potter Christi Baker & Colleen Mulvey Johanna Barron, Christy Chan, Helen Lee, & Cybele Lyle Peter Belkin, Evan Engstrom, & Joe Melamed Amanda Curreri, Llewelynn Fletcher, Hannah Ireland, & George Pfau Nancy de Y. Elkus & Matthew Marchand Cathy Fairbanks, Bryan Hewitt, Vita Hewitt, & Emmanuelle Namont Kouznetsov Pete Hickok, Jennie Lennick, & Rachel Mica Weiss John-Mark Ikeda & Nicholas Price Ryan Jones*, Scott MacLeod, & Jesse Walton Seth Lower & David Wolf Cathy Lu* & Rochelle Youk *Root Division Resident/ Affiliate Artist RECEPTIONS:
Phase I: Creation - Saturday, August 13, 7-10pm Phase II: Connection -- Saturday, August 20, 5-8 pm Exhibition Dates: August 10 - 20, 2011 Gallery Hours: Wednesdays - Saturdays, 2-6 pm (or by appointment)
Artist Hours: Thursdays & Fridays, August 11-19, 4-6pm
Sponsored By:
ROOT DIVISION GALLERY ABOUT ROOT DIVISION: Root Division is an arts & arts education non-profit located in the Mission District of San Francisco. Root Division's mission is to improve appreciation and access to the visual arts by connecting personal inspiration and community participation. We provide subsidized studio space to working artists in exchange for their service in creating shared learning opportunities for the community. Artists develop creatively and professionally by teaching art to underserved youth, leading adult education classes, and producing exhibitions that showcase local emerging artwork. By combining multiple opportunities for creative exchange, Root Division cultivates an artistic ecosystem that enriches life throughout the Bay Area. Root Division is supported in part by grants from the San Francisco Arts Commission Cultural Equity Grant / Organizational Project Grant, Grants for the Arts: San Francisco Hotel Tax Fund, and the Fleishhacker Foundation. For further information regarding events and/or press materials, please do not hesitate to contact Dana Hemenway at 415.863.7668 or events@rootdivision.org.
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