July 19–August 17, 2012
Haunch of Venison
550 West 21st Street
New York, NY 10011
T 212 259 0000
Curated by Walter Robinson
Haunch of Venison is pleased to present Claxons, a group show curated by art critic Walter Robinson, from July 19th to August 17th, with a reception for the artists on July 19th from 6–8pm. The show will feature works by ceramic artist Elisabeth Kley, glass artist John Drury, painter Robert Goldman, and Robinson. The exhibition aims to present underrepresented artists with an idiosyncratic sensibility. The title of the show Claxons (or loud horns) refers to the idea that artists create dissonance and cacophony. “It’s about letting oneself be carried along by events rather than trying to steer a clear path,” explained Robinson. “Each artist’s work is disturbed, either through subject matter that focuses on outcasts or through execution of materiality.”
Kley will present a selection of her painted ceramic pots and drawings that exemplify her interest in drag culture and extravagance. Depicted in vivid colors, her ceramic pieces reference Gothic ornamentation, Islamic, Roman, and Byzantium styles, and thus resemble ceremonial vestiges. One highlight is her drawing Large Ethyl Eichelberger that captures the flamboyant essence of American drag performer Ethyl Eichelberger in an elongated and dramatic form. John Drury will exhibit several glass pieces, in which he melds unlikely everyday materials. His non-traditional treatment of glass results in cast-off constructions. In Funny Money, Drury creates ostensibly fake ceramic coins placed atop a folded American flag, commenting on the use of currency.
Robert Goldman (formerly known as Bobby G) was a member of the Colab art collective in the late ’70s and early ’80s alongside artists like Robinson, Kiki Smith, and Tom Otterness. He will exhibit a series of over-sized constellation paintings that feature what Robinson referred to as “cosmic explosions, or painterly phantasms incubated in the artist’s mind.” Robinson is best known for his references to pop culture and kitsch that investigate the subversive principles of social, cultural, and political constructs in consumer culture. He will present a series of erotic paintings appropriated from the covers of romance novels. By re-contextualizing the figures, Robinson amplifies the tacky and overdramatic scenes depicted in the novels’ packaging.
Walter Robinson is an artist and the former Editor-in-Chief of Artnet. His work has been exhibited at galleries and institutions worldwide including Metro Pictures, New York; the New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York; the Museum of Modern Art, New York; Momentary Modern, Amsterdam.
Elisabeth Kley has exhibited extensively including a solo exhibition at the Georgian National Museum, National Gallery Tbilisi, Georgia.
John Drury is a recipient of the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Award for the Visual Arts. He has exhibited extensively throughout the United States including The Pittsburgh Glass Center, Pittsburgh, PA; The Museum of Glass, Tacoma, WA.
Robert Goldman has exhibited at institutions including the Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh, PA; Austin Museum of Art, Austin, TX; Constantine Post, Cologne, Germany, MoMA P.S. 1, New York; and Studio Corrado Levy, Milan, Italy. He has also received fellowships and grants from prestigious foundations including the Pollock-Krasner Foundation, Adolf and the Esther Gottlieb Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship for Artists.
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