Photo courtesy of Philadelphia School of Circus Arts

Post by: Erica Minutella, September 14, 2011

Last weekend at The Green Fairy Cabaret, a fortunate few turned down a side street just off Germantown Avenue to enter an unassuming building. For the admission price of $20, guests were greeted with a free glass of red wine as they filed into folding chairs lined up across a gymnasium floor. The show, a reference to the literary term for absinthe – the drink that led so many late-19th century poets and playwrights on wild mind-rides – featured performers from the Philadelphia School of Circus Arts as part of the 2011 Live Arts Festival and Philly Fringe.

Anyone expecting Cirque du Soleil might have felt a wash of disappointment as necks tilted back to take in the ceiling height – only about two stories. But as lights dimmed and the MC, like a conjurer unraveling his colored handkerchief, nonchalantly tweaked at pieces of a Victorian-style suit to reveal flashes of green material, suspension of disbelief began working its traditional magic.

Through the skilfully seductive guidance of the MC, audience members toasted, clapped, and laughed their way through the twisting series of performances set to music and philosophical meanderings. A carefully interwoven script – inspired by the words of Oscar Wilde, Charles Baudelaire, and Arthur Rimbaud, to name a few – tugged at the imaginations of the audience like so many puppet strings. Featuring acrobats, rope climbers, a juggler, and even a clown, the small space allowed for an unprecedentedly intimate journey into gravity-defying interpretations of absinthe visions.

If The Green Fairy Cabaret was any indication, then the 2011 Live Arts Festival and Philly Fringe is a not-to-be-missed experience. With just the right dash of mischievous bravado and inspired effort, this year’s performances should offer the perfect escape from the monotony of the daily grind.

The Festival ends this Saturday, September 17. Look for InLiquid member Lynette Shelley’s work during an on-screen art show at Wawapalooza 5: Under Destruction at the Society Hill Playhouse.

Tags: 2011 philadelphia live arts festival and philly fringe, green fairy cabaret, lynette shelley, philadelphia school of circus arts, philly fringe, society hill playhouse, wawapalooza 5:under destruction
Posted in Front Page, InLiquid member news, Philly Art News, Reviews | No Comments »

Nancy Halbert's "The Bachelor," mixed media, 24" x 18"

Post by: Erica Minutella, August 17, 2011

Since its recent move to the new space at 535 South Street, the Aktion Gallery has shown an intense drive to live up to its tagline: “We aim to put the cult back in culture.” Not even two months away from its grand re-opening in June, the gallery has transformed the space, showcasing two exhibitions and opening up its homey second floor to workshops covering everything from cyberpunk-inspired life drawing classes to pinup photo-shoots. Now, the gallery is on the search for a new space once again, adding an unexpected element of poignancy to the closing of its current exhibition, Process, this Sunday, August 21.

Visting the Process show feels rather like traveling through strange universes of Kubrickian proportions. Amidst a smattering of animal bones and monstrous figures, the numerous artists in the show juggle with medium and culture so skillfully it might leave you dizzy.

Two InLiquid members feature in the show. The blurred figures in the works by Nancy Halbert blend into their lush worlds of deep reds, thick brush strokes, and textual collages as easily as the furtive characters in a Gothic novel. Chris Macan’s pinhole photography offers a sense of intrusion into haunted ground. The quaint buildings of “Stone Inn” and “Horse Barns” appear to shy away into the background of their lonely, eerily lovely worlds.

A smattering of digital prints by David Aronson disturb and delight with their black and white explorations of fantastical figures and household objects. In “Sorcerers,” two characters that could have stepped from the pages of T. H. White’s The Once and Future King wield magic with the aid of a scrub brush and a plunger.

Not too far away, Jody McGrath keeps in touch with his Northern Ireland origins with works like “Ulster Loyalism Seventies Style,” from which a figure stares out from behind its barrier of acrylic paint and charcoal, vaguely reminiscent of a bandaged Claude Rains in The Invisible Man (1933).

Lily Lisa dredges up the symbols of childhood fairy tales. In “Briar Rose,” she presents a mixed-media window into Sleeping Beauty‘s nightmares. The work twists in an agony of thorns, while a spindle tainted in blood provides the focal point.

Fortunately, the wild dream presented in Process almost seems to be a neverending one. The darkly flowing fabrics of Heartless Revival breathe life into the shadows of Aktion Gallery’s corner spaces, while the nightmares of Anias crawl across the walls (particularly in the appropriately titled “Dream Catcher, Night Terror”). Thérèse Lavery’s acrylic works leap like sunbursts, as the eyes in Brendan Coleman’s photographs stare with unexpected intensity from behind dark veils. Other works by Katie Lulu, Niki Bombshell, Jordan Miller, Dan Mahlman, Traci Godri, Corina Dragan, James Smull, Jim Ulrich, Jeremy Waltman, Ellen Owen, Alisandra Wederich, Daniel Molnar, Angela McQuillan, and John Santerineross leave countless worlds to explore, and less than a week left in which to do it.

Tags: aktion gallery, alisandra wederich, angela mcquillan, anias, brendan coleman, chris macan, corina dragan, dan mahlman, daniel molnar, david aronson, ellen owen, heartless revival, james smull, jeremy waltman, jim ulrich, jody mcgrath, john santerineross, jordan miller, katie lulu, lily lisa, nancy halbert, niki bombshell, process, s, therese lavery, traci godri
Posted in Front Page, InLiquid member news, Philly Art News, Reviews | No Comments »

Post by: Alison McMenamin, June 15, 2011

Although Jody Sweitzer delivers a series of one-way conversations in her Monologue Series, she hopes to create a dialogue with viewers. The three videos in the installation, I love you, Lie to me, and Let it go, force the viewer to contemplate the moral and ethical decisions he or she has made. After watching each video, viewers are given the opportunity to respond by writing down their thoughts, which then become part of the installation.

An opening reception for Jody Sweitzer’s Monologue Series will be held on Friday, June 17 from 6 – 8 pm at InLiquid’s exhibition space at International House. Be sure to check out Sweitzer’s video installation before August 26 along with this summer’s film screenings at International House.

Tags: art, IHouse, Jody Sweitzer, video art
Posted in Front Page, InLiquid member news, InLiquid News, Philly Art News | No Comments »

Example of work from Brooke Hine being offered at Art for the Cash Poor 12.

Post by Alison McMenamin, June 6, 2011

InLiquid member Brooke Hine will be selling her work during the first day of Art for the Cash Poor, June 11. The sculptor and installation artist will be selling jewelry, dinnerware, and prints along with over 120 other artists.

Working primarily in ceramics, the artist is interested in ideas of growth and deterioration. Her sculptures can be described as biomorphic, referencing natural forms such as skeletal structures and aquatic life. Hine was recently named one of the five artists to watch by Philadelphia Magazine. She also received a two-year career development fellowship with the Center for Emerging Visual Arts (CFEVA). In addition to being named a CFEVA artist, Hine has also worked as an independent curator; her artistic and curatorial interests overlapped in the 2008 CFEVA exhibition, Adaptation—Celebrating Growth and Change.

Join us on June 11 and 12 for InLiquid’s Art For the Cash Poor event. All works are priced at $199 or less, with many significantly less than $100. In addition to artwork for sale, there will also be live music, beer provided by the Philadelphia Brewing Company, food, raffles, and more. There is still time for interested artists to register for this event, and volunteers are always appreciated. (Click here for volunteer details and contact information).

Posted in InLiquid member news, InLiquid News, Philly Art News | No Comments »

Example of work from Rebecca Jacoby being offered at Art for the Cash Poor 12.

Post by: Alison McMenamin, June 1, 2011

InLiquid member Rebecca Jacoby is one of the 120+ artists selling work at Art for the Cash Poor 12 on June 11 and 12, 2011.

Using a variety of media, Rebecca Jacoby’s work process is highly intuitive. She is interested in the potentials of mark-making, and her work often begins with the physical act of making. She enjoys layering materials to create different physical and emotional effects. Jacoby finds that using a variety of materials challenges her, and it prevents her from becoming complacent with one type of medium. Recently, she has begun making smaller works that have renewed her interest in drawing. In turn, the daily practice of drawing informs the large scale works that she creates. By placing restrictions on herself, the artist finds she is able to see possibilities in her work that would not ordinarily be apparent.

Join us on June 11 and 12 for InLiquid’s Art For the Cash Poor event. All works are priced at $199 or less, with many significantly less than $100. In addition to artwork for sale, there will also be live music, beer provided by the Philadelphia Brewing Company, food, raffles, and more. There are still a few spots available on Sunday for artists to participate in this event, and volunteers are always appreciated (Click here for volunteer details and contact information).

Posted in InLiquid member news, InLiquid News, Philly Art News | No Comments »

Example of work from Ed Snyder being offered at Art for the Cash Poor 12.

Post by: Alison McMenamin, May 25, 2011

InLiquid member Ed Snyder will be selling his photographs, books, and greeting cards as part of our annual Art For the Cash Poor event. All of the artwork at the event is priced at $199 or less, with many well under $100.

Ed Snyder photographs cemetery statuary to explore ideas of death and mortality. He is interested in Victorian mourning arts, and he sees his photography as a personal means to deal with loss. In addition to his photography work, Ed Snyder is also a Biomedical Engineer at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. At Jefferson, he works on the research, development, and clinical application of advanced cardio-pulmonary life support for babies. He is conscious of the focus of mortality in his work as an artist and as an engineer. Ed Synder is also fascinated by the parallels he finds in both engineering and art, with each discipline’s use of precision and technology.

Join us on June 11 and 12 for InLiquid’s Art For the Cash Poor event. All works are priced at $199 or less, with many well under $100. In addition to artwork for sale, there will also be live music, beer provided by the Philadelphia Brewing Company, food, raffles, and more. There is still time for interested artists to register for this event, and volunteers are always appreciated.

Posted in InLiquid member news, InLiquid News, Philly Art News | No Comments »

Example of work from Lynnette Shelley being offered at Art for the Cash Poor 12.

Post by: Alison McMenamin, May 23, 2011
InLiquid member Lynnette Shelley is one of the 120+ artists participating in Art For the Cash Poor on June 11 and 12. All of the work at the event, including Lynette Shelley’s giclee prints and small, framed originals, is priced at $199 or less. 

Influenced by myths and fairy tales, Lynette Shelley creates illustrations of animals and fantastical creatures. She is interested in Jungian archetypes and the recurring motifs that appear in stories and legends across cultures. The artist sees the use of animals in her work as a way to express humanity’s relationship to the natural world. She notes the cultural importance of animals as omens, personifications of gods, and figures in cave paintings. Because of their psychological resonance, Lynnette Shelley is able to use animals as a way to explore ideas of the collective unconscious.

Join us on June 11 and 12 for InLiquid’s Art For the Cash Poor event. All works are priced at $199 or less, with many well under $100. In addition to artwork for sale, there will also be live music, beer provided by the Philadelphia Brewing Company, food, raffles, and more. There is still time for interested artists to register for this event, and volunteers are always appreciated.

Posted in InLiquid member news, InLiquid News, Philly Art News | No Comments »