SOUTHFIRST is proud to present “AMHHA,” an exhibition of new drawings and 3-D studies by Richard Evans. The show is on view from 7 October – 6 November, 2011. The title is an anagram of the name of a book by Max Ernst which was recouped by electronic musician Morton Subotnick to entitle a series of “imaginary ballets.”

Fasgalo (2011) is a series of six framed photographs of sculptures. The objects resemble Surrealist sculptures or African ceremonial objects. Their presentation echoes early-Twentieth century photography of Modernist sculpture like that of Giacometti or Jean Arp; small, black-and-white photographs in tight black frames, setting off moodily lit fetish objects. A complementary series, Objcts (2011), feature in three color photographs similar quasi-Surrealist sculptures which reference maquettes by Max Ernst.

Another sculptural series is loosely grouped around the theme of sound. It features guitar strings threaded through fine art materials: a block of alabaster, a concrete box. The works reference Picasso’s guitar collages and some of the play and metaphorical material explorations of synthetic cubism. IIII_Interior (2011) highlights the vibratory potential of material like Perspex, plasteline and dust. Some sculptures are studies in contrasts, such as Zzwik2’s (2011) collapsed polyurethane rubber on a steel armature; other pieces utilize materials with metaphorical implications, such as aspirin, talcum powder, and Vaseline, or subvert expectations of materials, such as rubber reliefs of wood. Evans’s explorations seem nostalgic for a between-the-wars Modernist style, referencing names and exhibition strategies from the 1930s. Yet the show also playfully reworks materials, imaginary systems, and Fluxus tactics.