Henry Bermudez, The Kelicia Project Mixed media wall installation 2013

Henry Bermudez

The Kelicia Project. Una Nueva Posibilidad

May 8 – June 9
Second Thursday reception May 9, 6 – 9 pm
The Hall
Crane Arts Building
1400 North American Street

Influenced by Latin American and African mythology and folk art, in this exhibit Henry Bermudez creates wall-sized cut paper collages combined with giant cut-out photos featuring Kelicia Pitts, a fine art model and local curator. The installation also represents the latest art collaboration of Ms. Pitts’ ongoing “The Kandy Project,” in which she acts as the primary model/subject for a visual artist’s body of work.

For Bermudez, The Kelicia Project. Una Nueva Posibilidad connects his memories of being a young art teacher in the village of Bobures, Venezuela to his present day experiences teaching art at a youth program in North Philadelphia. Bermudez reflects on the similarities and differences of the communities of African descent in each place and the significance of these two moments in his life as an artist.

Henry Bermudez attended the National Schools of Art in both Venezuela and Mexico and studied in New York City’s Art Student’s League, as well as in Rome, Italy. His work has been exhibited in numerous solo and group exhibitions throughout Latin America, Europe, Asia and the United States. He was selected to be the Venezuelan representative for the 1986 Venice Biennale and has been the subject of numerous articles. Since returning to the U.S. in 2003, Bermudez has been based in Philadelphia, has worked with the Mural Arts Program on several major projects, and maintains an active studio and exhibition schedule.

Opening Reception sponsors:

The public hours for the Crane Arts Building are noon – 6 pm, Wednesday – Saturday, and until 9 pm on the Second Thursday of each month.

Support provided in part by the Philadelphia Cultural Fund.

John Y. Wind
Image courtesy of James Oliver Gallery

The Making of a Modern Man

Solo show by John Y. Wind

May 17 – June 26
Opening reception: Friday, May 17, 6 – 10 pm
Artist talk: Saturday, May 18, noon – 4 pm

James Oliver Gallery
723 Chestnut Street

The James Oliver Gallery in partnership with Inliquid is pleased to announce The Making of A Modern Man, the debut solo show by artist and jewelry designer John Y. Wind.

John Y. Wind’s installations and assemblage sculptures are deeply personal reflections on desire and the commercial nature of everyday life. Made from diaristic collections of ephemera and objects, Wind is inspired by the great collagist/collectors of the past, including Kurt Shwitters, Hannah Darboven, Ray Johnson, and Joseph Cornell. Indeed, there is a profoundly charming sense of homage throughout the show.

Combining canonical figures — from Michaelangelo’s “David” to Elvis Presley — with countless souvenirs from his life (ticket stubs, key fobs, empty cologne bottles, mix tape cassettes), Wind explores themes of desire, identity, and the passage of time. Watches and charms, fashioned by Wind, appear throughout the installation as attributes of his business designing costume jewelry.

His work also explores the fetishized nature of glamour and the stark carnal aspects of our culture in collages that layer celebrities, porn stars, and luxury brands. Bringing to mind Robert Mapplethorpe and Jack Pearson, Wind conflates private and public and projects himself, his fantasies, and his aspirations in the work.

John Wind studied at the University of Pennsylvania and the Slade School of Art in London. His works are in the collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum of London and the Musée Des Arts Decoratifs in Paris. His jewelry designs for Maximal Art have been praised throughout the world.

Public hours at James Oliver Gallery are Wednesday through Friday, 5 – 8 pm and Saturday, noon – 8 pm or by appointment.

Support provided in part by the Philadelphia Cultural Fund.

Michele Kishita

Of Water and Wood
April 5 – May 19, 2013
First Friday Receptions: April 5 and May 3, 5 – 7pm

Painted Bride Art Center
230 Vine Street, Philadelphia, PA

Of Water and Wood is a site-specific installation of new paintings on wood panels, works on paper, and light projections by Michele C. Kishita. Works in the exhibit are Kishita’s response to the wood grain patterns of her painting surfaces and inspired by the “waterfall prints” of Japanese woodblock master, Katsushika Hokusai.

Gallery Hours at the Painted Bride Art Center are Tuesday through Saturday, 12pm to 6pm.

Support provided in part by the Philadelphia Cultural Fund.

InLiquid’s Art for the Cash Poor is a fabulous annual block party-style art sale that allows art lovers the chance to meet the artists, see their work first-hand, and begin or add to their art collections without breaking the bank — all in a fun, family-friendly atmosphere.

Art for the Cash Poor traditionally brings together a group of talented fine artists, designers, and crafters, from the emerging, up and coming to the established. Works over the years have ranged the gamut from paintings, prints, photography, fiber arts, glass and ceramic ware, jewelry, and fashion all for under $199.

Art for the Cash Poor offers the opportunity to explore some of the city’s fresh local cuisine with some of Philadelphia’s new “Gastro Food Trucks,” while you enjoy a sampling from the local music scene.

Come to the special Friday Night Preview for a sneak peak at what the weekend has to offer. This ticketed event includes a cocktail party and benefits the AIDS Fund.

Interested in being an artist vendor? Spaces still available. Visit “Participate” to find out how.

	* Arrive in style to Art for the Cash Poor with Uber! Uber, "everyone’s private driver", allows you to order speedy black car service right from your personal phone via smart phone app or SMS service. We’re proud to announce we’ve partnered with Uber to provide all guests who are new users their first ride FREE up to $20 the night of the event with promotional code CASHPOOR13.
Create an account by visiting uber.com/go/CASHPOOR13 or by downloading the mobile app and signing up with promotional code CASHPOOR13.*

All’s Well

Darla Jackson
All’s fair…

March 13 – April 27, 2013
Second Thursday receptions: March 14 and April 11, 6 – 9pm
Crane Arts Building
1400 N. American Street

This March and April InLiquid presents All’s fair…, a solo installation by Darla Jackson in The Hall at Crane Arts.

Darla Jackson is most notably recognized for her animal sculptures that have been seen infiltrating spaces throughout Philadelphia. Her past exhibitions include While you were out… at the Philadelphia Art Alliance, Anatomy Now at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, My Dog Speaks at Seraphin Gallery, and On the Rise at the Gallery at Art in City Hall.

“All’s fair…in love and war. And at times those two very different things feel like they are one and the same. Words can become both weapons and trophies. They are collected and saved, cataloged like rare specimens… Some people stockpile them to be used again one day, and others just go over them again and again, trying to figure out where things went wrong…”
-Darla Jackson

The public hours for the Crane Arts Building are noon – 6 pm, Wednesday – Saturday, and until 9 pm on the Second Thursday of each month.

Support provided in part by the Philadelphia Cultural Fund.

Water Wars #2, used garden hoses, 66”x 32”x 32”

BRENT CROTHERS: WATER WARS
PRESENTED BY THE PHS PHILADELPHIA FLOWER SHOW

MARCH 2-12, 2013

Pennsylvania Convention Center
1101 Arch Street

The PHS Philadelphia Flower Show magically transforms ten acres of the Convention Center into a floral fantasy every year. This year the stunning Central Feature will incorporate an art exhibition, facilitated by InLiquid and curated by Chessia Kelley, of three large-scale sculptures by fine artist Brent Crothers.

Curatorial Statement:

Crother’s triptych of colossal egg-shaped forms, painstakingly created out of reclaimed materials, stand silent like the statues of Easter Island, poetically revealing volumes about our collective past and our future. During a time of piqued concern about the future of the environment, the title of the series, Water Wars, is significant, acknowledging that the war of the future will most certainly be one that is fought over water. Golden Egg #2 consists of many layers of used tire treads wrapped around an old, small fiberglass water tank to create an egg or cocoon form.
Crothers writes, “the tires are symbolic for me of oil and the industrial revolution, which is part of the root of the many power struggles today, but the real liquid gold of today and the future is fresh water and it will be through the power of oil that it will be controlled.”

The length of garden hose in Water Wars #2, a material that the guests of The Garden Show are very well-acquainted with, reminds us how wasteful we can be with the most precious of resources. Every day rivers are diverted to create lush lawns in the desert, changing forever the face of our planet and threatening the future of the land. While the threat of environmental decline is a major source of concern for horticultural enthusiasts, an air of optimism surrounds Crother’s egg-shaped forms. The egg, a symbol of rebirth, reminds us that it isn’t too late to effect positive change upon the planet. Water, like the egg, is the life-force that will allow our society, as well as our flowers, to continue to blossom.

About Brent Crothers:

This exhibition features the sculpture of Brent Crothers, who has been working professionally for over 25 years. Crothers’ sculpture frequently makes re-use of commonly found objects and materials, thereby leveraging the specific histories they carry forth as a catalyst for formulating provocative social, economic, and political commentary. His work is included in many permanent collections, such as the Corcoran Museum of Art, the Hechinger Collection, and the Delaware Art Museum. He has been the recipient of several Maryland State Arts Council grants, most recently in 2011. Crothers earned his BFA and MFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art. He lives and works in Stoney Forest, south of Bel Air, MD in Harford County, in the home and studio he built on 15 acres of undeveloped forest.

Support provided in part by the Philadelphia Cultural Fund.

Deliver my Life from the Sword/The Absent Drinker, Oil on canvas

Work by Kim Alsbrooks and Helen Mirkil

February 1 – March 17, 2013
First Friday receptions:
February 1 and March 1, 5 – 7pm

This two person painting exhibit features a selection of portraits and figurative works by Kim Alsbrooks and Helen Mirkil.

Alsbrooks explores historic imagery, social class, and consumer culture with “My White Trash Family”- detailed portraits on flattened beverage cans and other recycled packages.

Mirkil’s gestural paintings trace a visual lineage from figurative works by Vincent Van Gogh, Edgar Degas, and other late 19th Century European masters.

Emma, Oil on Arizona can, 2013

Painted Bride Art Center
230 Vine Street
Philadelphia, PA

Gallery Hours at the Painted Bride Art Center are Tuesday through Saturday, 12pm to 6pm.

Support provided in part by the Philadelphia Cultural Fund.

Life In Stills

Life In Stills

The Gershman Y
401 S. Broad Street
Saturday, April 20, 2013 / 8:30 PM

Director: Tamar Tal
Israel, 2011, 58 minutes
In Hebrew and German w/ English subtitles

The oldest surviving photo print shop in Tel Aviv is threatened with demolition. The 96-year-old owner and her grandson join forces to save the shop and the nearly one million negatives that document Israel’s defining moments. Recently presented the Israeli Oscar by Isreal’s president, Shimon Peres, Tamar Tal’s Life In Stills is a riveting portrait of a mesmerizing family of two, who together fight to preserve Israel’s history – and their own – in photographic stills.

Special Guest: Dan Friedman, Managing Editor, The Forward and Director Tamar Tal

Buy tickets: http://gershmany.org/LifeStills.cfm

                                         One space. One night a year. One Love: Art

Check out the photo’s from this years event!