Ch'i is delighted to announce the first NYC solo exhibition by San Francisco artist, Joe Mangrum. Straight from his successful installation at 49 Geary St, Mr. Mangrum will create a new site specific installation at Ch'i located at 293 Grand St. in the Williamsburg district of Brooklyn, NY beginning March 12th. The exhibition will open to the public with a reception on March 17th, 6-9pm and then run until April 17, 2006. Gallery hours for the exhibition are Mondays 9am-4pm, and Thurs. - Sun. 11:30am-8pm.
Brooklyn, NY (PRWEB) February 25, 2006 -- Ch'i is delighted to announce the first NYC solo exhibition by San Francisco artist, Joe Mangrum. Straight from his successful installation at 49 Geary St, Mr. Mangrum will create a new site specific installation at Ch'i located at 293 Grand St. in the Williamsburg district of Brooklyn, NY beginning March 12th. The exhibition will open to the public with a reception on March 17th, 6-9pm and then run until April 17, 2006. Gallery hours for the exhibition are Mondays 9am-4pm, and Thurs. - Sun. 11:30am-8pm.
Mangrum's Ideas
Joe Mangrum, an active San francisco installation artist and a veteran of the burning man festivals has this to say about the philosophy behind his creations: "My greatest desire is to communicate my discovery of truth with the freedom and depth of the visual experience. I create a dialogue of symbols, including a Mandala, which inspires me as a mimic of the natural world and Universe. As an image in Science, its shape echoed by our own cells, an unfolding flower, or the deepest reaches of space and stars. It is with wonder and amazement that I pursue this and other symbols such as the Pyramid and their ancient pasts, bringing a current exploration to life that allows us examine ourselves in a reflection of our modern surroundings. Each piece starts with a specific place. My discovery begins by feeling its history and intuitively reacting to it, and the time-space in which it exists. Natural history, current events, politics and other phenomena all enter my mind in the fledgling stages of any installation. I select materials based on character traits to tell a story. Some are fragile and ephemeral, while others are rigid or fabricated to produce a particular feeling. I examine the indomitable spirit of creation in relation to the grid of imposed structures of cities, hegemonies and power. As I expand my vocabulary of images, I am interested in creating more dynamic dialogues of myth and reality. I am focused on introducing references to biology and elements that humanize the effect that each of us has on this universe. Our lives are inherently connected to the whole of its people, its natural wonder, spirit, and momentum. I magnify the outlook of a flourishing sustainability and impending disaster to better understand the consequences we face. I feel immersive environments have captivated my imagination to expand not only my symbolic dialogue but my mediums as well."
Mr. Mangrum's ideas obviously translate well to others as can be seen from critics remarks on viewing his last exhibition. Adam Bamberger of Art Business.com said"Joe Mangrum has a rare and remarkable talent-- he can arrange anything anywhere-- indoors, outdoors, animate, inanimate, large, small, rock, scissors, paper, plastic, plaster, powder, dirt, dust, doorknobs, pennies, bones, bottles, batteries, liquids, solids-- anything-- makes no difference. If all of us could do what Joe Mangrum does, the world would be an unimaginably fantastic and glorious place."
Joe Mangrum- The artist
Joe Mangrum began his artist career studying at the school of the Art Institute of Chicago where he received his BFA. Since that time he has created projects both nationally and internationally winning awards for his installations such as the Lorenzo De Medici Award at the Biennale Internazionale Dell 'Arte Contemporanea in Florence Itally, a San Francisco Arts Commission for Market Street Art in Transit, the Dr. R. A. Koetting Prize from the St. Louis Artists Guild and in the Portraits of India show at the Asia Society in New York.
Mr. Mangrum has also created two installations for the city of San Francisco - one permanent at the Muni Bus Stop-22nd @ Mission St. and the other a temporary piece entitled " Trans - mission". Additionally, Mr. Mangrum has appeared in solo exhibitions at the Urbis Artium Gallery @ 49 Geary St, in Santa Ana, Laguna Beach and the San Francisco State University as well as in group shows at SFMOMA, The Randal Museum in S.F., PHOTONY, The Florence Biennale, The Burning Man Festivals, Fusian Festival, the Earthdance Festival, the Asia Society in NYC, and numumerous galleries throughout California and Illinois. The installation and exhibition of his photography at Ch'i from March 17- April 17, 2006 will however, mark his first solo exhibition in the New York City area. Mr. Mangrum will arrive in New York on March 3rd to begin collecting materials as he likes to work with items from the area in which the installation is being created. He will then began assembling the creation on March 12th and it along with his photography will be available for public viewing starting March 17th. Everyone is cordially invited to a reception with Joe Mangrum on March 17th from 6-9pm at Ch'i located at 293 Grand St. in the Williamsburg district of Brooklyn. Viewing hours for the exhbition after the reception are Thur- Sun 11:30am-8pm and Mondays 9am-4pm or by appointment. For more information contact gallery director, Tracy Causey-Jeffery at 718 218 8939 or via email.
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