whitespace Fall Exhibitions (fridays)

From the venue:

In the Land of Plenty | Sarah Emerson

In the Land of Plenty, a solo exhibition by Sarah Emerson at Whitespace Gallery, presents a new series of paintings and drawings using landscape to explore the delicate struggle between collapse and perseverance in everyday life. “I combine found imagery and scenes from actual landscapes to create my abstract compositions. In my work, I distort the physical laws that govern the real world because concepts like gravity, inertia, and locality do not govern our emotional perspective of the world. Although terror and tranquility never truly exist simultaneously in the physical, the two emotions certainly reside concurrently in our memories. As it is presented, painting can flatten time, space, and memory in pictures, allowing room for a reconciliation of many states of being flattened into one picture plane. I have no answers to the complex problems of today’s world, but with my work, I make a visual appeal to be empathetic and hopeful in tumultuous times, and I resist my own personal urge to look away from the chaos of the now. In the Land of Plenty refers to the abundance of possibility and purpose to do good but my pictures tell the story of a horizon in transition, continually reforming broken shapes into a new and uncertain landscape.”

exhibit page here

DEAL | Mark Wentzel

“The exhibition DEAL features sculptural objects that, while initially appearing playful, reveal deeper layers of political and psychological tension. These works examine the dynamics of power, dissecting the complex interplay of cause and effect among individuals and groups. Made from found objects, scrap materials, tools, and sports equipment that have been radically transformed by cutting, burning, dipping, painting, and reassembling, the process evokes a post-mortem examination and preservation of a body. In this context, “deal” can refer to anything from a direct negotiation for mutual benefit to a grand scheme for collective advantage, a strategic move for personal gain, or even an ordinary pine board. Ultimately, DEAL delves into fundamental questions of consciousness and existence and the non-negotiable transactions of birth and death.”

exhibit page here

into the well | Zipporah Camille Thompson

“Deep into the vast ocean of mystery and uncertainty, exists an underworld container filled with relics and ancient pillars of the past emerging to stand tall and proud. Each grain of sand, molecule of salt and sea retains echoes of transatlantic violence. New aqueous futures arise through portals of hope and renewal. Part woman and sea creature, black Venus emerges from her lair, fertile with beauty and mystery. She reclaims and radiates transformative healing power in miraculous ways, birthing futurity, nourishment, and fullness of breath. Salt and sea sustains us and reminds us to forever draw upon source energy and to turn within, collectively triumphing over violent histories and contemporaries wrought with darkness.”

exhibit page here

Tiny House Investors | Neill Prewitt

Tiny House Investors is a companion piece to Prewitt’s new rock opera Emotional Real Estate. Both works investigate the personal and political effects of Atlanta having become one of the most overpriced housing markets in the country. Imagining peepspace as the tiniest house in Atlanta, a family moves in.

Neill Prewitt debuts the new rock opera Emotional Real Estate at Whitespace for Atlanta Art Week. Prewitt’s third rock opera, it is the story of a new dad struggling to do the best for his kid in one of the most overpriced housing markets in the country, Atlanta. Priced out of the middle-class lifestyle he was raised in and expects to be able to provide, Dad is tempted to mobilize behind his grievances. Only by becoming conscious of the role of racism in Atlanta’s growth and acknowledging his own relative privilege does he emerge with wisdom he can pass on to his child. Born out of Prewitt recently becoming a father, it is a parable for today’s polarized America. Written and directed by Prewitt, the 20 minute live performance features a trio of musicians Martha Williams, Mark Schoon, and JD Walsh, with Prewitt singing and performing in interaction with projected video.

exhibit page here