| Opening reception: First Friday,
April 2, 6 - 10 pm
Man, Myth and Magic - main gallery
Bambi Gallery is proud to present Man, Myth and Magic,
an exhibition of collaborative works by Philadelphia ceramic sculptors
Nick Lenker and Paul Swenbeck. Man, Myth and Magic is
curated by Megan Webb and is a sanctioned show by The National
Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts. It promises to be an
epic visual journey as well as a tour-de-force of ceramic work.
Nick Lenker is known for his loosely crafted work heavily
influenced by myth and ritual. He was raised Jehovah's Witness
in rural Pennsylvanian coal country. The religion is known for
its rejection of religious imagery and highly ritual based forms
of worship. His disfellowship from the congregation led him to
investigate many different forms of worship, ranging from Buddhism
to the ritual practices of aboriginal cultures. Lenker is interested
in investigating the similarities amongst seemingly different
religious practices. His imagery combines the ritual objects and
religious imagery drawn from various cultures.
Paul Swenbeck's work is inspired by Pagan mythology and
a serious study of nature. He grew up in Salem, Massachusetts
where he developed a fascination with the macabre while working
at a witch museum tourist trap. His interest in magic and the
occult, coupled with his experience exploring caves and ocean
promontories, led him to construct sculptural tableaus reminiscent
of exotic plants from hidden corners of the world. Swenbeck incorporates
colored resin to his ceramic plant life forms, suggestive of their
psychotropic properties that ooze and puddle.
This exhibition is the first collaboration between Lenker and
Swenbeck as narrators to an invisible world. Their mutual interest
in psychology via Jung and Reich is a doorway into the unconscious,
where dreams and nightmares populate the landscape with cyclopic
monsters and tragic heroes. This world is just as illuminating
as it is dark and infernal.
These Colors Don't Runningman
- project space
Keith Warren Greiman was born and raised in the suburbs
just north of Philadelphia. He has been fortunate enough to have
his work featured in publications and galleries of discriminating
taste from across the globe. His images often feature a fantasyland
where creatures, people, and ghosts commingle.
This 30-something has a BFA from Tyler school of art and his love
of cats landed him as lead singer in "Prowler". He can
be seen shopping at the farmers market for whiskey soaked donuts
on Saturday mornings, sans hangover. He is also a mummer but you
could only tell by his gold shoes worn in January. (And maybe
for special occasions)
|
