Fowler Arts Collective is pleased to present The Pinch, in which three local artists share very different methods of art making in a time of economic hardship. Featuring recent bodies of work by Kurt Freyer, Elizabeth Hoy, and Emilie Selden, The Pinch explores the way material transformation in an art world setting can alter the value of very modest objects. Working playfully and with limited means, these artists take trash, recycling, and unwanted objects and turn the dispensable into an art commodity. All three artists work in multiple mediums including sculpture, printmaking, painting, installation, drawing, and photography. The works of these artists are striking in the way that they are able transform the vulnerability of the artistic impulse into noble and even headstrong objects despite the simplicity of their material origins.

Kurt Freyer’s work takes discarded technology and trash and transforms it into his vision of post-apocalyptic nature. His practice is a sort of alchemy: in his work, CD jewel-cases and beer cans transform into post-apocalyptic mineral deposits or miniature cliff formations. Hoy, in her Craigslist Series, looks at what people in New York are giving away on Craigslist, and then collects, paints, or draws from the objects they post. Her series is a study in these tenuous shifts in value—from person to person, and from natural to man-made. Over the last two years, Emilie Selden has literally been making money. At a time when the line between illusion and reality in the American marketplace is often unclear, her work looks at the difference (or lack thereof) between a piece of paper, a dollar bill, and a painting.

Please join us for The Pinch’s opening reception on Friday, Oct. 14th from 6-9 pm. The exhibition will be on view weekends (Sat. + Sun.), 12 to 6pm, from October 14th to 30th, 2011. During other times, the exhibition can be viewed by appointment. To make an appointment email the address below.

In addition to the exhibition’s opening event on October 14th, there will be a reading organized by Luke Degnan of BOMB Magazine on Friday, Oct. 21st from 7-9pm in the Fowler gallery. The reading of poetry and short fiction will feature writers Paul Legault, B.C. Edwards, and others. Stay tuned for more info!

Fowler Arts Collective is located in the historic Greenpoint Terminal building on the East River waterfront at 67 West Street, Brooklyn, NY 11222.