Smoke & Mirrors: An Exhibition including the work of 20 Artists who might be faking it opens June 12th through September 12 from 5:30 - 9pm at SPACE, 812 Liberty Avenue, Cultural District, Pittsburgh, PA.
Guest curator Jesse Hulcher will present Smoke & Mirrors, an exhibition of works by artists Cory Arcangel, Matt Barton, Chris Beauregard, Robin Brasington, Jacob Ciocci, Olivia Ciummo, Thad Kellstadt, Ladyboy, Guthrie Lonergan, Spencer Longo, Eileen Maxson, Jesse Mclean, Alex Miller, Jae Ruberto, Michael Smith, Ed P. Steck, Scotty Vera, Jeffrey Vulture, JD Walsh, and David Wightman. Artists invited to contribute to the exhibition were asked to submit works which saw them 'faking it' in some way.
A seemingly uncontrollable ascent into the hyperconsciousness of irony leads current artistic practices in the direction of extreme emotional states, transcendently playful acts with technology and the self indulgence of reveling in one's own actions. Works in the exhibition cover themes such as the authentic versus the inauthentic, achieving the impossible through the use of media or other apparatus and the notion of presented identity versus actual identity. These artists who, in varying degrees, perform, impersonate or hide behind an alias or a contrived level of intellect or artistic skill appropriate the landscape of the new modernity. These works and artists exist in alternate realities in order to comment on media, pop-culture and their effects on the human mind through a fictional, fantasy authorship, trading pride or reputation for indefinite amounts of behind-the-scenes detail. In this way the character of the artist can be as much a work of art as the supposed output of their alias. The exhibition consists of original works in video, sound, sculpture, print, drawing, painting, collage, kinetics and installation. These 20 artists unite for an exhibition of tricks, fakes and lies in a world that is sincere.
For more information, call 412.325.7723 or info@spacepittsburgh.org.
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