Show for 12 people at the AMP
Works by Barbara E. Cohen and Jay Critchley currently occupy the same wall at the Art Market Provincetown (432 Commercial St.). Cohen’s four paintings of a three-dimensional cube emerging from a one-dimensional background have a Pop Art aesthetic: flashy colors and brushstrokes so smooth that, in two of the paintings, they are barely visible. Cohen’s series of cubes deals with housing insecurity. The cubes, representing houses, are uprooted from one canvas to another, rolling like dice, without any foundation.
Critchley’s series of six collages, titled baby boomers, depicts cut-outs of late 1950s baby photos superimposed over images of deforestation, garbage dumps and police brutality. The baby photos, which Critchley found in a Truro swap shop, show two rather odd babies striking silly poses. The series, with its title, becomes a pointing finger, wondering how one generation could lead us here.
Cohen and Critchley are two of the performers in a 12-person show running at AMP through July 13. For more information, visit artmarketprovincetown.com. —Paul Sullivan
Sculpture at Castle Hill
Large sculptures are often impractical to display. Castle Hill’s opening of the Sculpture Garden at Edgewood Farm in Truro (3 Edgewood Way) offers a rare and refreshing opportunity to experience large-scale sculpture on the Outer Cape. The works in this 50th Sculpture Invitational – opening July 1 from 4 to 6 p.m. – enliven the grounds, changing the way the viewer experiences the space.
A large snake, weaving in and out of a hill, greets visitors. Justin Cifello created the piece from invasive woody plants, twisting them together to create this spiny host. Ellyn Weiss also disrupts the decor with an installation of delicately woven plastic bags in a wire frame. Climbing up the side of a tree, the sculpture seems invasive, prompting the viewer to consider environmental threats even in an oasis like Edgewood Farm.
by Rob Silverstein swing dance presents two sinuous forms. Playing on the force of the sculpture, Silverstein positions the parts so that their relationship changes depending on the viewer’s point of view. Despite the heavy material, the sculpture is surprisingly playful and agile.
Similarly, David Boyajian juxtaposes the heaviness of steel with a rippling, whimsical image in his 11-foot flower sculpture. The petals appear like red birds in flight.
The cartoonish bright yellow figure of Kensuke Yamada is hilarious, standing on top of a hill and looking out over a field. Eyes closed and hands at his side, he looks like a sleepwalker.
Yamada’s use of clay to create an image referencing Japanese pop culture is unexpected, as are the small details in the sculpt, such as a blue ear and surprisingly realistic hands. —Abraham Storer
Culinary Writing at Castle Hill
At Castle Hill’s Truro Center for the Arts, Katherine Alford and Kathy Gunst will lead a food writing workshop committed to helping people find their voice – something, according to Alford, is an essential part of writing, which he whether it’s a long novel or a short recipe.
“Food is such a universal way to tell a story,” says Alford, who regularly contributes to the Independent. “It’s transformative in terms of memory, sight and smell, engaging all the senses.”
There’s a lot of bad food written there, she said. This workshop teaches an alternative to what she describes as the default method: “Yum, yum, the stuff with grandma’s hands.”
Participants will write together, share their work and have light reading assignments. Alford says that over the years the quality of writing that has come out of the class has been inspiring.
She wants participants to “feel like they have a toolbox and are ready to dig in” at the end of the workshop. Food is a lens through which you can see the world in a different way, she says. Good writing focuses the lens.
“When food writing is good,” says Alford, “when it transforms you and is able to tell a great story about just being human, people really connect.”
The workshop takes place from August 24 to 28 in five sessions, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, visit www.castlehill.org. — Dorothee Samaha
Two brothers, two styles
“Two brothers, both very talented, with totally different and unique styles,” says Joey Rugo of Gris One and Hanimal, brothers from Bogotá, Colombia. The works of the two brothers make up the latest exhibition at the Rugosa Gallery in Rugo (4100 Route 6, Eastham). The show, Hermanosruns until July 5.
The brothers participated in the “Rugosa Residence” this spring. Gris One paints with liveliness and color, while his younger brother Hanimal works almost exclusively in black and white. This contrast of color and style is pleasing to the eye.
Hanimal uses a fine point pen to create detailed depictions of fantastical creatures, characters and scenes on canvas. Several “micro-drawings” in pencil on paper by Hanimal are also presented.
“The craziest thing about his drawings,” says Rugo, “is that Hanimal doesn’t draw the scene and then fill it in. It draws as a printer would print, from top to bottom.
Magnifying glasses are displayed at the gallery for viewers to magnify the intricate details.
Gris One’s work exists “between the world of graffiti and art galleries”, according to a biography of the artist. Parts in Hermanos range from vibrant and abstract acrylic animals, figures and scenes on canvas to mixed media portraits that play with geometry and color. —Isabelle Nobili
