Urban Utopia
32 Greene Street
32 Greene Street
Soho
April 28 - May 30, 2010
Reception: Wednesday, April 28, 6 - 9 PM
Web Site
On Wednesday, April 28 from 6:00 – 9:00pm, KiptonART will present “Urban Utopia” at 32 Greene Street in Soho.*
The exhibition is based on the concept of a perfect society existing in an urban environment, such as New York City. This idealistic notion of perfection first appeared in On the Best State of a Republic and on the New Island Utopia, written in 1516 by Sir Thomas More, which described a fictional island in the Atlantic Ocean with a seemingly flawless socio-political-legal system. The author starkly contrasted this imaginary land to European society with the intention of igniting debate on social issues. It was a radical, but surprisingly well-received, essay.
Similarly, the works exhibited at Greene Street either invite criticism of contemporary society or attempt to dispel common beliefs and tradition. The artists challenge our conventional understanding of ourselves and offer new perspectives through varied media and artistic disciplines.
Curators Heidi Lee, Karline Moeller and Anastasia Rogers scored and evaluated numerous artists from the KiptonART registry that features over 900 artists. The curators selected twelve promising young artists who are living and working in New York and working across varied media. The artists include: *Michael Chiarello, Julie Combal, Jade Doskow, Ula Einstein, Melissa Fleming, Sabina Forbes II, Stephan Fowlkes, James Kennedy, Avery McCarthy, David Mellen, Matthew Satz and Erica Simone.
Julie Combal’s painterly canvases depict close-up views of natural disasters showing the beautiful side of complete destruction and chaos, playing with notions of dystopia. Jade Doskow’s sublime CIBA chrome prints capture the remains of forgotten World’s Fair sites, once renowned epicenters for state-of-the-art developments in science and technology. Stephan Fowlkes’ geometrical sculptures investigate the social norms by which we are expected to live, the structures within which we live, and the conventions we must respect. James Kennedy’s abstract paintings are achieved by a diverse range of alchemical reactions - mainly acrylic and wax builds on oil washes - creating visceral images on wooden panels. His work takes its inspiration from the Russian Constructivism movement by referencing its rejection of “art for art’s sake” in favor of art created for socio-political and ideological purposes.
Each of the 12 exhibited artists contends with the concept of a perfect society – its probability of existence seems irrelevant. Their works breed hope and inspire viewers to envision a ‘perfect’ future. The exhibition is open from April 29 – May 30 by appointment only.