Girls' Club presents a guest exhibit of recent works from Florida Atlantic University's MFA Class of 2014 at the Girls' Club Annex Space at the Francie Bishop Good Studio. On view February 25 - 27, 2015 during Girls' Club open hours, a public reception hosted by the artists will be held Saturday evening, February 28 from 6-10pm, along with a Visiting Artist presentation at Girls' Club main space with Lisa Sanditz, during the Flagler Village Artwalk (same night as FATVillage Artwalk).
Existence pulls together works from six recent graduates of the FAU Master of Fine Arts program, from six countries, on three different continents, who speak five languages. Organized by former Girls' Club intern Kandy G. Lopez, artists include Linda Behar, stephen futej, Misoo Filan, Isabel Gouveia, Lopez and Raheleh Filsoofi.
As the artists tackle contemporary issues of identity, culture, socioeconomics, the environment, and regional and global politics, each artist brings unique perspectives that have been filtered through their particular cultural experiences. Their messages reach across geopolitical lines to touch the equally diverse audience that makes up South Florida, leading to broader examinations of the human condition.
Linda Behar's work is confrontational in nature and seeks to illustrate the patriarchal Western view that portrays the female body as a commodity, and its exportation of that view to different cultures. A Korean speaker and native South Korean, Misoo Filan's India ink and pencil drawings explore issues of female identity and childhood abuse through abstract renderings that resemble Rorschach ink blots. Recreating scenes of struggle, the female figures spin their long hair into a delicate but powerful barrier, guarding from their attacker.
In contrast, stephen futej works in a formal manner, employing a role reversal of space and form, to give a visual accounting of temporary spaces. These spatial records allude to cycles of disintegration and reconfiguration of matter, relating to the concept of yin and yang, the opposing forces that comprise Tao. Digital printer manipulations by Isabel Gouveia introduce chance and provoke decay as metaphors for the genetic modifications, industrial residues and excess of production that contribute to the destruction of the environment, ultimately revealing the process of entropy as it slowly unfolds.
Kandy G. Lopez was born in New Jersey, resides in Daytona Beach, FL, and through her Dominican heritage speaks Spanish. In her monotype prints, she explores constructed identities, celebrating the strength, power, confidence and swag of individuals who live in urban and often economically disadvantaged environments. Raheleh Filsoofi's installation of ceramic vessels, sound and video explores the roles of women in the contemporary world through reference to One Thousand and One Nights. By asking, "What is the story? Who is the storyteller?" the work pays homage to female voices and their unknown stories.
Girls' Club and the artists invite members of the press and the community to a public reception Saturday, February 28 from 6-10pm. The reception will coincide with the monthly Flagler Village and FATVillage Artwalks that take place every Last Saturday, from 6-10pm. For a detailed map of all the venues participating in the artwalk, visit:
www.flaglervillage.com.
"Existence: FAU MFA Exhibit" will be on view February 25-27, 2015, 1-5pm, and by appointment at the Girls' Club Annex Space at the Francie Bishop Good Studio, located at 117 NE 2nd St. in downtown Ft. Lauderdale. Free parking available.
About Girls' Club - Founded in 2006 by artist Francie Bishop Good and her husband David Horvitz, Girls' Club is a 501(c)3 foundation and alternative space, the only private collection in the world dedicated to exhibiting contemporary art by women. Cutting edge works in painting, drawing, photography and video are presented in curated, thematic exhibitions which also include works loaned from other collectors, and from galleries and artists. Artists represented in the Good/Horvitz collection are a diverse body of women - and some men - representing many ethnicities and nationalities. Girls' Club's facility is a dynamic, multi-functional building created by award-winning designer Margi Nothard of Glavovic Studio in Fort Lauderdale.
Girls' Club's mission is to educate the public, nurture the careers of female artists, and to serve as a resource for art students and scholars, curators, and practicing artists. A special commitment is made to expose the work of local artists to a broader national and international audience. Girls' Club's website features a working online artist database with biographical information and relevant web links on artists in the collection, facilitating further study on the works and careers of contemporary women artists. Web projects by artists, interviews and texts by writers, and a blog extend the presence of Girls' Club onto the worldwide web.
Girls' Club is also committed to changing the lives of individuals in Broward County, and our programming reflects the special needs of women and girls. Girls' Club offers specialized workshops and activities in a variety of media for artists of all levels and abilities, and for children and families. More information at
www.girlsclubcollection.org.
Featured image: Misoo Filan, Untitled, 2014, India ink, graphite pencil on yupo paper, 20 x 20"
