Curated by Jeanne Brasile

Pulvis et Umbra is a multi-media exhibition by the collaborative artist duo, Jones and Roa. Their practice consists of artwork that examines the nature of the object via the use of shadows and the recording of bodily actions and static objects through video, paint, sculptural elements and charcoal media. The use of shadow as an inspiration, places the artists within a philosophical framework rich with dichotomies that include absence/presence, light/shadow, tangibility/intangibility and body/environment. Overall the body of work is firmly rooted in contemporary art historical discourse concerning institutional critique and the nature of the (art) object. Jones and Roa seek to advance these dialogues into the future, yet they are also keenly aware of art historical precedents, including allegorical painting, gestural painting, anti-art and performance art. Their work uses an economy of objects rendered in a clean, unadorned fashion.

Darren Jones is an artist, curator and writer from Scotland and is currently based in New York. He received his BFA from Central Saint Martin’s School of Art, London (1997) and his MFA from Hunter College, New York (2009). As an artist he has exhibited in over 80 exhibitions including the 2010 Moscow Biennial for Young Art, the Royal Scottish Academy, Queens Museum of Art, National Library of Argentina, Samuel Dorsky Museum, and the Hunterdon Museum. Jones began working collaboratively with fellow Hunter alum Ryan Roa, in 2007 after the two artists realized that they shared many artistic interests and concerns. With social justice advocate and journalist Madina Stepanchenko he set up and is currently the curator for Phenomena Project in Manhattan, a not-for-profit organization founded to promote social progress through the medium of contemporary art. He remains an independent curator and is a contributing critic for ArtUS Magazine.

Ryan Roa was born in 1974 in Englewood, NJ. His work combines sculpture, new media and interactivity. He has worked as a stockbroker, a carpenter, a teacher, and was a Staff Sergeant in the U.S. Army. Roa received a BFA from SUNY New Paltz (2004), and his MFA from Hunter College (2008). He has exhibited at the Bronx Museum, Queens Museum of Art, Jersey City Museum, Moscow Museum of Modern Art, Trinity Museum, School of Visual Arts Museum, Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art, Neversink Valley Area Museum, Wayne County Historical Society Museum, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Seton Hall University, Hunter College, Rush Arts, ABC No Rio, Flux Factory, and Jamaica Center for the Arts and Learning. He has participated in residency programs at the Bronx Museum, Gallery Aferro, and Pace University. Roa is currently based in New York.

Jeanne Brasile‘s curatorial practice is focused on working with emerging and mid-career artists in non-profit venues. She is particularly engaged in developing exhibitions outside the white cube. Her inter-disciplinary curatorial practice is uniquely informed by her roles as a professor, arts advocate and artist. She is most interested in developing exhibitions that engage non-traditional audiences while concomitantly challenging viewers to re-think their perceptions about art, art-making and the role of the museum/gallery. Brasile is currently the Gallery Director at Seton Hall University’s Walsh Gallery where she curates two to three exhibitions yearly. She is also an independent curator, recently working at Index Art Center, SITE Festival/Arts in Bushwick and the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey. She earned her B.A. in art history/studio art from Ramapo College of New Jersey and her M.A. in Museum Studies at Seton Hall University.