E5: Rangefinder @ Transformer
Starting in April of this year, artists Kristina Bilonick, Michael Matason, Jillian Pichocki, and Bryan Whitson, came together twice a week to discuss and develop new work as part of Transformer's The Exercises for Emerging Artists program. As a continuation of the program, Transformer has opened up the process to the public for comment and feedback in E5: Rangefinder.
Launched in March 2004, The Exercises for Emerging Artists was created to support artists at critical points in their professional careers. The program is designed especially for those artists that miss the critique and feedback element found in formal school settings. In addition to several peer critique sessions, the artists receive mentorship and feedback from area gallerists, more established artists, professors, and curators. This year's mentors included visual artist Jason Zimmerman, photographer Frank Day, Transformer's Executive & Artistic Director Victoria Reis, the Corcoran College of Art and Design’s Administrative Chair of Photography Andy Grundberg, independent curator and gallerist Andrea Pollan of Curator’s Office, and guest curator Lisa McCarty.
Using screen printing, light painting, multiple exposure Polaroids, and photographic renderings, the artists showcase their experimental use of photography in the 5th of the series of the Exercises program. In her curator's statement McCarty says that she found the process interesting in that many curators don't see the conception of artistic ideas. Being involved from the beginning, McCarty wanted to take advantage of the situation and became more of a consultant to the artists stating, "For this program I sought to give a forum to these artists who approach the medium of photography as a means, but not always the end."
Highly influenced by the Midwest, Bryan Whitson exhibits two sparse landscapes in E5: Rangefinder. Whitson used the computer to create composites of landscapes to manifest his feelings of the Midwest. The pieces, in black and white, are stark. They are minimal with only the sky and some land to ground the pieces. Light becomes the focus of Landscape 4 (pictured) representing a cold sun, while in Landscape 5, the light is very diffuse. The digital prints are isolated and haunting.
In a series of four photographs, Michael Matason's creations from the Exercises uses light as paint. In each of his black and white pieces, Matason opened the shutter of his camera for long exposures, then painted with light around a posed couple. He captured the fast paced movement of the light and the stillness of the couples. There is wonderful interaction between the light and the people as well as the juxtaposition of the calm stillness of the subjects versus the hurried brush strokes of the light.
Using an old Polaroid camera that has flaws and leaks light, Jillian Pichocki shot portraits of various people for the Exercises. Each piece is very colorful as light plays a leading role in her images and the people become afterthoughts. Because of the flaws in the camera her images are double exposed, creating many layers of light and images. Like Whitson's photographs these are haunting but in a different manner. Whitson's are sparse and lonely where Pichocki's photographs are otherworldly and filled with presence. The bright saturated colors give a sense of ghosts and auras and the double-exposure layers the light and images, which add to the supernatural feel. (Untitled, pictured right)
Kristina Bilonick uses memory to create a child's space in E5: Rangefinder. The concept is to show the building blocks of what makes people. The installation is brightly lit as a red table and pink chair sit in the window space of the gallery. It is covered with blocks with images of Bilonick's memory of childhood and pop iconography. Each block is screen printed with either a photograph from her childhood or such images like the Good Humor logo, the cover of Sassy magazine, or fashion plates. Crayons and a yo-yo also litter the table. The installation is very intimate but humorous, inviting the viewer to sit down and play with the blocks or color.
Images courtesy of the gallery.
Transformer is located at 1404 P St NW and is open Wednesday through Saturday, 1 to 7 p.m. The gallery will be closed on July 4 and 5. E5:Rangefinder is on display through August 2.