THERE IS NO SYNONYM FOR HOPE
CO-CURATED BY Lauren Schell Dickens and Julie McKim
SMACKMELLON, BROOKLYN, NY
JUNE-JULY, 2008
Sonya Blesofsky / José Luis Cortés S. / Cristina Fontsare / Joshua Eggleton / Samuel Ekwurtzel / Rachel Hines / Takashi Horisaki / Karrie Hovey / Jeff Kao / Petra Kralickova / Noah Nakell / Beth Krebs / Andrew Scott Ross / MiYoung Sohn /
K Staelin
Photo credit: Seth Moherman
THERE IS NO SYNONYM FOR HOPE, 2008
We live in uncertain times of deep cynicism and audacious hope. Assumed structures, both political and social, once deemed infallible have once again revealed their cracks. Our global world has reshuffled historic relationships, shifting economic and cultural paradigms, while fires, floods and war ravage the landscape. As these once promising structures break around us, we are forced to reconsider our place in the world as both physical and psychological beings. There is no synonym for hope showcases work by 15 emerging international artists who use sculpture, photography, drawing, and site-specific installation to examine the contemporary landscape of uncertainty, and explore the consequences of these eroding structures.
Failing structures breed anxiety, fostering a climate of disillusionment and vulnerability, while also opening a void of possibility. As established systems break apart, we are left with the boundlessness of a model yet to be defined, a new beginning to rebuild and try again. Yet the visions presented in this exhibition are far from utopian. Working under a looming recession and a saturated art market, the artists in this show reflect survivalist and escapist tendencies; they are insolent and resilient, inspired not by a blind optimism, but by an obstinate hope that continuously drives their art production. There is no synonym for hope seeks to capture the emotional, political and psychological responses elicited by the interrelationship of hope and failure.
Photo credit: Seth Moherman