ArtGate Gallery is pleased to announce the exhibition, Chosen, which presents fourteen artists who work in a variety of mediums including, installation, performance, sculpture, painting, film, and video. Each participant was selected/Chosen by one of eight internationally acclaimed artists who believe in the talents and abilities of individuals they have selected. Most of the exhibiting artists are multidisciplinary, as are the artists who selected them. The majority of the works included in this exhibition are drawings, as this medium plays a significant role in the process and purposes of each artist’s production. The exhibition will be on view from October 5 through November 10, 2012; the opening reception will be held on October 4 from 6-8 PM.

Exhibiting artists include: Aishia Tandiwe Bell, Beth Citroni, Brian Clifton, Zachary Fabri, Kristofor Giordano, Beka Goedde, Josh Goldberg, Emily Henretta, Ali Kazim, Jill Magid, Christine Rebet, Lior Shvil, Mohammad Ali Talpur, and Jennifer Wen Ma. The selecting artists are Luca Buvoli, Cai Guo Qiang, Zarina Hashmi, Joan Jonas, Michael Joo, Donald Sultan, Kara Walker, and Nari Ward. Ali Kazim and Mohammad Ali Talpur live and work in Pakistan; the rest are based in New York. Some are young and emerging while others have had works included in international biennials and major museum exhibitions.

In many of the works presented in Chosen there is a questioning of what we already know. Aisha Bell’s collages depict black women in conflicting and questionable situations, and are related to her large scale mixed-media wall installations and videos performances. Beth Citroni’s minimalist black paintings are modest in scale and incorporate fragments of text written by the artist. Of the artists in the show, Brian Clifton employs the widest range of artistic disciplines. Open to interpretation or reinterpretation of many issues and cultures, his practice cannot be defined by any specific discipline. In his drawings we only get a glimpse of his range. Zachary Fabri’s Mr. Kennedy and the Negroes refers to a book by that title that he found discarded on a New York City street. Puzzled by the odd notations on the book’s pages, Fabri purchased an identical copy, which he has altered with his own code-like doodles to create new works that are both visually and intellectually intriguing. Both Kristofor Giordano’s and Josh Goldberg’s drawings refer to a reductive manner of visualizing and questioning. Beka Goedde’s ghostly drawings are in direct contrast to the materials, scale, time, action, and space of her related sculptural installations. Emily Henretta’s sculpture, which is constructed from elements of everyday functional objects and other materials, contrasts with her black-on-white wall drawing. Ali Kazim, known for his large scale sculptures with human hair, presents four drawings on Japanese paper, one of which is a self portrait. Jill Magid presents Night 21, which she says is a replica of her skull made with a CTscan and a 3D printer and a version of Goethe’s Faust: A Tragedy, which she has reprinted, rebound, stained, and annotated. Christine Rebet presents a selection of exquisite small works that are preparatory drawings for her animated film Made in Fire. Mohammad Ali Talpur’s Leeka drawings are the most direct and pure. His line drawings are an exploration in time, distance, and living “art without content.” Lior Shvl’s animated film, Desertland, focuses on political borders and containment issues. Jennifer Wen Ma, who works in animation, drawing, and large scale installations, presents a 60 foot-long scroll together with other drawings, one of which is a proposal for an ArtGate Gallery installation. Notebooks more fully documenting each artist’s approach to art making are included in this exhibition.

I extend my gratitude to all of the artists in this exhibition and also to those who answered my request to suggest artists. Thanks to Sylvia Kim for presenting the exhibition and to the gallery staff.

This exhibition was organized by artist John L. Moore.