Short Stories:
seven artists – seven stories

Jamie Ellen Davis - Michael Ensminger - Stephen Kuzma -
Jason Noble - Sandra Osip - Caroline Parker - Sam Tufnell

on view: May 21 – June 19, 2011
Opening reception: Saturday, May 21, 4:30–7:30pm

This exhibition presents work by an eclectic group of artists whose work has not been seen much in public. Two of the artists, Stephen Kuzma, and Sandra Osip, have been working artists for over four decades; Sam Tufnell and Jamie Davis are young, emerging artists, who are setting out on their careers. Caroline Parker, a painter, and Jason Noble, a photographer, both manage restaurants and in spite of this demand on their time are committed artists. Michael Ensminger actively exhibited his work in the 1990’s, and after a ten-year interruption during which time he taught in the public school system he is now presenting a new body of work. The works in the exhibition are figurative to the extent that each one could be expanded into a story the viewer can tell in his or her head.

In Stephen Kuzma’s large canvas construction workers stand precariously on scaffolding rigged above the roofs and water towers of early Soho. The workers grace and oblivion to danger gives the painting a dreamlike ambiance.  With Nuclear Aftermath Sandra Osip contributes a barely surviving artifact from a past civilization. With impressive skill she has covered a baby crib with moss and mold. It seems to be half sunk into the earth and reminds us of a future we can’t imagine.

Sam Tufnell has cast and patinated various objects from the present civilization: empty beer cans, crumpled bags of chips, sardine cans etc., and arranged them into a witty installation of litter and other signs of human shortcomings. Jamie Ellen Davis’accordion book shows finely drawn and somewhat unnerving fantasy scenarios that leave everything to the viewer’s imagination.

With her painting Mercer Street Caroline Parker manages to literally convey everything that might be happening on that particular block at any given time. The variety of brushstrokes and palette as well as the format of the photographs that are the source imagery reinforce her themes. Jason Noble’s large, layered photographs explore the range of digital photography as an editing medium.  Michael Ensminger’s portray drawings locate a space between abstraction and figuration, an interrupted space -  place of absence and a place to pause - the images look familiar but are not quite. 

DIRECTIONS:

Take 2, 3, or 4 trains to Franklin Avenue. Walk two blocks against the traffic on Franklin. Walk ¾ block to 558 St. Johns Place. FiveMyles is within easy walking distance from the Brooklyn Museum.

acknowledgments:

FiveMyles is supported by The Greenwall Foundation, New York State Council for the Arts, Public Funds from the New York City Dept. of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, the Foundation for Contemporary Arts, the Brooklyn Community Foundation and by the Brooklyn Arts Council, JPMorgan/Chase.