The Family Room Part 2

The second part of this installation featured Mindy Abovitz, Matteah Baim, Amanda Barr, Brian Bibbo, Kelie Bowman, Kelie's Dad, Alison Corrie, Phil Elverum, George Ferrandi, Kyle Field, Harrison Haynes, Maya Hayuk, Jordin Isip, Lump Lipshitz, David McQueen, Allyson Mellberg, Kyle Mock, Saelee Oh, Kim Schfino Josh Slater, Jen Smith, Sto, Rachell Sumpter, Ginger Takahashi, Mindy Abovitz and Jeremy Taylor.

January 4th- January 29th 2006

As we fade into a brand new year, the idea of time passed weighs heavily on our collective psyches. Regrets of what we didn't do and resolutions of what we're GONNA do are inescapable thoughts and feed the fodder for table talk at dinner parties all over town. This measurement of time, a "Year," sounds like a long time and yet often feels so short, seemingly speeding up as we grow older. We all revel at the prospect of another chance. This time I will get it RIGHT! But after the smoke from the fireworks clear, the laughter dies down and we all stumble to our respective homes, the morning is imminent: January 1, 2006. A clean slate (except for that hangover from too much champagne), a long winter and a blanket of whiteness washes over our eyes. It's back to work, back to the cold and dreary dogged days of gloomy January. Here at Cinders Gallery we are welcoming the down time and winter hibernation with The Family Room Part 2, our version of the double concept album, with all new work by the same group of artists. In doing so, we give the artists a chance to have a dialogue between 2 sets of their own work as well as allow the room to have a conversation with itself by changing aspects of the installation. The work in the Family Room represents a diverse group of artists working in all kinds of mediums, a smorgasbord of feelings and ways of dealing with this theme. There is a portrait made of cigarette butts smoked to varying degrees to form the image. Visions of wintery Eskimo children, distraught characters inflicting wounds with tree branches, and memories of past New Years Eves: a vacant room once filled with party people, a hitchhiker stranded on the side of the road. A drawing of a flannel blanket and a remote control sums up the month quite well actually, as does a paper-cut of a horse asleep peacefully under a tree. There is an overall disparity among the work which feels honest and yet there are still glimmers of hope and humor. Aspirations are planned and vocalized, the seeds of a new year planted and promising. In what could be a quite depressing and lonely time of year, we say revel in the sadness and be productive. Hide out, drink tea, and rock out in your bedroom and then come on out and be with others who are doing and feeling the same. We are loving the cold and darkness, BRING IT ON! Love, Cinders See Pics from the Opening Read a review of this show on ARTFORUM.COM here