If the Present is Not to Disappear

If the Present is Not to Disappear
Curated by Jeanne Brasile

chashama 303 Gallery
303 10th Avenue
(between 27th & 28th St.)
New York, NY

January 10 - 19, 2013

Opening reception:
Thursday, January 10, 6 - 8 pm

Gallery Hours:
Daily, 12 - 6 pm
CLOSED, Monday, January 14

The distance between everyday and the intergalactic is explored by artists Christy Speakman, Gianluca Bianchino, and Travis LeRoy Southworth as they address perceptions of the present moment and the remote cosmos. The exhibition is inspired by author David Couzen Hoy's book, "Time of Our Lives: A Critical History of Temporality," in which he posits the fleeting nature of the present, Hoy states that if the moment is to not disappear it must be more than the miniscule gap between the past and the future. The artists address the transitory nature of existence and time through installations, photographs, video, and site-specific works that explore the interval between the finite and infinitesimal as well as humanity's relations to the universe.

Challenging perceptions of the moment and the cosmos Speakman creates microscopic galaxies in still and moving images depicting oil stains, water, tar and dust, that present contradictions in scale and perspective. Bianchino's site specific installations combine mundane materials and ambiguous imagery that can be concomitantly microscopic and stellar. Conveying multiple dimensions and perspectives. Southworth collects bits of cultural detritus to create sculptures and photographs which explore confrontations with finitude and the passing of time. Notes curator Jeanne Brasile, "The artists deftly weave together a challenging visual narrative that conflates our transitory existence and the far reaches of our own universe. This exhibition is discourse that is timeless and yet timely in scope."