New Work

Kasa Gallery is hosting Bishop & Criswell – New Work, Istanbul 2011, an
exhibition by Lynn Criswell and Michael Bishop from 8 April to 13 May 2011.

Lynn Criswell and Michael Bishop are visiting faculty at Sabanci University through June. Their permanent studio is in Northern California where they also teach in the Department of Art and Art History at California State University, Chico. Michael Bishop is a 2010-11 Fulbright Fellow to Turkey. Their work has been exhibited extensively in the U.S. and Europe and their studio practice extends to Art in Public Places projects. All work for this exhibition was produced in their Sabanci University campus studio from October 2010 thru March 2011.

The starting point for Lynn Criswell’s new installation is the midday meal, a highly socialized routine in the campus environment. The view is of the “higher side”– a traditional day-in-day-out exodus to the campus-dining hall. Viewed from the perspective of a practiced artist, Criswell presents much more than the mundane, this is a visual exposé of seduction, work, branding and autonomy. She leads the viewer through time and space that is both linier and nonlinear, incorporating microcosms of visual stop action gems as counterpoint while excluding images of the crowd. One cannot observe this work without considering the other sides of the coin.

Michael Bishop’s new work draws in part from his near Tourette like activity of obsessive counting, which leads in turn to the construction of monthly and yearly calendars. All are based on the little black book he stores his data in and the iPhoto library he carries around. At first glance, the Istanbul work seems miles apart from his work last year– using powder coat matt surfaces on steel. However, the felt and raw plaster here provide the same anti reflective, light sucking surface– an ongoing attempt to still the moment. The “Month of February 2011”, 108 cast plaster boxing gloves and a photo portrait, serves as a repository for the images as well as the events of twenty-eight days of leap year.

Opening reception: 8 April 2011 at 6:30 pm

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