“Internal Politics: Great Expectations”
Photographic & Mixed Media Invitational
Curated by Vernita Nemec
Wally Gilbert * Deborah Sudran * John Nieman * Alan Gaynor * Susan Sills * Kathleen King *Michael Miller * Barbara K Schwartz * May DeViney * Arthur Dworin * Bob Tomlinson * Arlene Finger *Fred Gutzeit * Angela LaMonte * Jackie Inglefield * Suzanne Morlock * Carolyn Applegate * Bryan Smith * Elizabeth Ginsberg * Marcia Bernstein * Robert Cenedella * Scott Kulok * Barnaby Ruhe * Julia Healy *Jenny Brown * Sam Wiener * N’Cognita * Emmanuel Monzon * Margery Appelbaum * Kathy Levine * Lynne Mayocole * David Yendes * Len Rosenfeld * Alex Woodhouse * Irene Christensen * Ed Herman* Cheryl Vlachos * Deborah Beck * Jackie Lima * Norma Greenwood
Chelsea, NYC: Viridian Artists is pleased to present “Internal Politics: Great Expectations”, a Photographic & Mixed Media Invitational curated by Vernita Nemec. The exhibition continues from April 26th – May 14th, 2016 with an opening reception Thursday, April 28th, 6-8pm.
Wikipedia says Politics (from Greek: πολιτικός politikos, definition “of, for, or relating to citizens”) is the practice and theory of influencing other people. Another similar phrase is “playing politics”, which means doing something in order to become more powerful rather than doing what’s right.
But what are our “Internal Politics” What are our “Great Expectations”? Perhaps those politics concern one’s secret wishes about reality or what reality should be – our personal politics and how we respond to the world around us with images rather than with our voices.
Artists like Daumier spoke directly about politics with his art but much art that does not seem political still carries within it a belief system that can be as persuasive as a placard in a protest march or demonstration.
Recently, Holland Cotter addressed the issue of art & politics in his New York Times essay entitled “Making Museums Moral Again” (3/19/16). He reminds us of the power of art to address political issues when in the late 60’s, Art Workers Coalition met & created the Poster “Q: And Babies? A: And Babies. Today’s issues are numerous and equally troubling.
The artists in this exhibit are expressing their beliefs visually – and as some might say, “It’s art – what does it mean to you?” These artists have expressed through their art their concerns about the environment, the presidency and numerous other matters that affect our world today.
This is not the first time that Viridian has presented an exhibit focused on politics or social concerns. In September 2002, gallery artists created works in memory of 9/11 for an exhibit entitled “Elegy”. The card for the show was a photo of an empty downtown sky by Vernita Nemec (as N’Cognita) and was featured in The Nation magazine by Arthur Danto in an article he wrote about artists’ reaction to 9/11. The following September, artist Mary Miss curated the “9/11 Memorial show” at Viridian and in September 2004, Stuart Nicholson and Vernita Nemec invited Viridian Artists and Ridge Street Artists (a LES artist collective) to participate in “YW”(why War? Why Dubya?), an exhibit featuring both visual art and performance.
We hope you will join us and see the power of art to express what is on the minds of artists in today’s tumultuous world.