Furious Moments: Titus Kaphar at the Cincinnati Contemporary Arts Center
The current exhibit of Titus Kaphar’s works at the Cincinnati Contemporary Arts Center, titled “The Vesper Project,” surveys history, heredity, race, architecture, and just plain old visual art, intermingling parody, autobiography, destruction, and reinvention into a chiaroscuro carnival of unearthly but somehow palpably earthbound delights. All of Kaphar’s brilliant artistic/literary amalgamations and tricks manage to […]
Staged Necromancy: The Perfect Kiss (QQ)* *questioning, queer
“Arrange whatever pieces come your way.” — Virginia Woolf You enter the room through a ruche curtain, a membrane partitioning a world from our own. Only two colors exist in the palette of the capacity—varying shades of red and white—and you are immersed in the sweet fragrance of rose petals. These are the first impressions […]
Mapplethorpe Then and Now: 25 Years and a Conversation with FotoFocus’ Kevin Moore
Many different memories, ideas, conclusions, and issues are beginning to surface as FotoFocus Curator Kevin Moore and the Contemporary Arts Center each look toward Fall of 2015, the 25th anniversary of the original Robert Mapplethorpe photography show, “The Perfect Moment”, and its tumultuous aftermath. Sheriff Simon Leis and the Vice Squad closed down the exhibition, […]
Magnitude Seven at Manifest Gallery
In our culture, where Bigger is often equated with Better, there’s a decided relief in turning to a competition where Small is All. Manifest Gallery’s eleventh annual Magnitude Seven, with no boundaries on method or media but strict boundaries on size – seven inches max in any direction – this year as for every previous […]
VERGE: Printing from the Periphery April 19 – July 24
VERGE: Printing from the Periphery April 19 – July 24 Opening reception: Final Friday June, 26, 2015 Venue222, 222 14th Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 Labeling this exhibit “Verge” opened expectations to all possibilities. However, the distinct links to Tiger Lily Press, DIY Printing, Clay Street Press and Visionaries and Voicees would be enough to inspire more […]
Artist Andy Fausz’s Strong Voice Is Alive
On June 11, I went to the opening reception of the retrospective art show of one of my dearest friends, Andy Fausz. Andy passed away unexpectedly Nov 10, 2012, at the young age of 36. I still cannot believe that he is gone forever and am deeply saddened every time I think of him. Walking […]
Deborah Martin’s Newest Series Continues to Illuminate the Uncanny in America’s Outback
Walt Whitman wrote in the preface to the 1855 edition of Leaves of Grass, “The proof of a poet is that his country absorbs him as affectionately as he has absorbed it.” This theme manifests throughout the work of Deborah Martin, a contemporary realist landscape painter who conveys the essence inherent within marginalized communities that […]
Sister Cities Exhibition Focuses on Cincinnati and Munich
Architecture defines the visual identity of a city. It is the principal ingredient in the mix of things that gives us a sense of a place. One way to communicate urban identity is through the challenging practice of architectural photography. A stunning exhibition of this visual art form, focusing on Cincinnati and Munich, Germany, is […]
Relax—It’s a Duck Tape® World
On a summery Cincinnati Saturday afternoon, anyone doing a driveby at the Clifton and MLK corner of the University of Cincinnati campus might do a double take. Is that really a 10ft tall pink flamingo stalking a giant lemonade-sipping duck resplendent on a beach towel with all the amenities one would need at said beach? […]
Medicine Illuminated
A cross-disciplinary collection at it’s finest, Medicine Illuminated is a visual narrative of social, moral, and spiritual movements as they pertain to the medical field. Rich with content, this exhibition has a wealth of works that trail the history of medicinal care, theories, and misconceptions. At the heart of each work is the notion that […]