Opening Reception | State of Consciousness

State of Consciousness is often used in everyday speech to describe being awake, self aware and responsive to the environment. This "self-awareness" may involve thoughts, sensations, perceptions, moods, emotions, and dreams. Generally, there is nobody who is always in a normal state of consciousness all the time. Sensory deprivation sleeping, meditation, hypnosis and drug induced experiences are all examples of these altered states of consciousness.

Leah Oates:
The work from the "Transitory Space" series deals with temporality, constant change and flux. The spaces Leah photographed in Beijing where Hutongs that where in the process of being torn down and that are undergoing tremendous change very rapidly. All the work from this series shows a a state of mind that is in transition and that on first glance seems broken and destroyed but that becomes more beautiful due to its imperfect state

Yeni Mao :
The interest in this drawing is the mash-up of forms from animal, machine, and vegetable. Yeni was interested in making "character sketches" and looking at the way these three forms all have basic structures in common. Later, Yeni made larger drawings that put these characters in context, and created a narrative for them. The drawing are, in effect, the embodiment of alternate states of consciousness. A hybrid by nature is the combination of disparate things, and therefore disparate ways of viewing the world. The hybrid characters, metaphorically address global social issues of extradition, migration, and “cultural fracturing”. These transformations are based on the real world model of de-contextualization and forced dissipation.

Yasmine Chatila:
After months of continuous observation in different parts of the city Yasmine collected photographs and videos of strange, comical, and often haunting moments. "Just cause you can't see it" it ‘s video about a woman dressed in a wedding gown, and walking in circles following some invisible thing. Of course since this is New York, nobody paid any attention to her. Yasmine thought what if she was sane and everybody else around her was crazy? ‘’Just cause you cant see it" is about vindicating her, giving her own voice.

Anja Mohn
Every form tells us its history and content. The object ‘Gesicht’ (English: face) has an image of a face in state of deep relaxation fragmented, and embedded in wax blocks. The physical characteristics of wax are similar to water in a different state of aggregation. The image appears frozen. It is close to the viewer, and removed at the same time.

Megan Cump:
Megan Cump’s uncanny work suggests mythic transformations as she takes refuge in and merges with the natural world. Her photograph depicts the artist lodged between two worlds, entangled within tree roots beneath the forest floor like some subterranean creature. The image, drawn from Ovid’s story of Daphne and her metamorphosis from huntress into a laurel tree, documents a poignant convergence of nature and the psyche.

Pierre Saint Jacques ( video « And, The »)
« And » centers around a character who is always looking for more, for something different, for something else. In essence he is always asking "and". His main preoccupation is to create chaotic situations. He believes that by bringing together these different elements beauty will emerge from the chaos. This is not so different from many of the visual and decorative arts where styles, textures and materials are commonly mixed and matched, the difference here is that his medium is his life. “The” is the companion to “and”. Using the same cast but focusing on a different character the video focuses of the flip side of the themes from “and”. In this case the character is not looking for something more but rather is trying to understand things as they are. She is trying to focus and define. This leads to a structure where the main character curiously looking at events around her, often feeling touched by their humanity, always feels apart from what she is observing. In the end, the role of the observer is too confining and she attempts to incorporate herself in the act of observing.

Frank August:
Frank August shoots high end digital as well as black & white film with a Leica rangefinder, developing in his bathroom. His work includes art and photojournalism. With themes relating to urban cultures, identity, minorities and urban life, his work allows him to complete a part of his life and identity. This piece represents a certain state of consciousness within urban communities. It is part of a personal series titled "Urban Worship", shot in Brooklyn, NY. In this fast-paced city with ATM's, 24 hour stores, and fast food restaurants with bullet-proof glass, our places of worship fit right in.

Gary St .Clare:
St. Clare’s work in digital and contemporary techniques are used in the creation of his imagery. Nonetheless what is being expressed in St. Clare’s art are themes and issues that are traditional in nature. In a broad sense, St. Clare’s subject matter is of his personal experience of growing up in America and his distillation of those experiences. Specific topics of his work include African American history and politics. His work presents his personal stance on life that audience can universally be touched and relate to. One can describe it as a form of modern ethnography.

William Downs :
William is constantly in search for freedom and honesty. This freedom could be through fleeting lines drawn across a page or making a drawing on a napkin then letting it blow away for some one to discover it. His tools can be as simple as watercolor charcoal ebony pencils coffee and even clay slip. Fear, worries, memories, dreams, fantasies, secrets, and feelings are subjects that are used in most of his drawings. He is interested in the balance of unconscious and conscious states. This gives him a chance to mix formal and surreal elements to create human images that often take the form of animals or other mythical creatures. His drawings are always informed by his relationship to psychology as well as sociological concerns.

Virginie Sommet:
Virginie is a mixed-media artist. Her focus has been on creating found object sculptures that reflect her familiarity with a wide range of social issues. The unifying theme of her installations is with objects that represent “urban minorities” and “urban majority” in Paris and in New York. Both series are an examination of challenges of the need to belong and to have material objects. The third series: “Meditation”, that she works on to achieve social and physical balance can function as an instrument that manages every day tribulations . Her work is about two different kinds of urban objects and meditation. For this show she created a piece getting beyond the "thinking" into a deeper state of meditation and awareness. With meditation she explores a higher state of consciousness and creativity. Before starting the piece, she practices Zazen Meditation (Japanese). While she threads the pearls on the fishing line she is doing a performance in Manhattan of self-discipline, focus and determination to ignore the chaos of the city.