Abstract
Saints and Poets is a group exhibition curated by Jon Pylypchuck at Megan Mulrooney Gallery, Los Angeles (14 September – 26 October 2024). Participating artists included Courntey Cho, Brian Dario, Keith Edmier, Erica Eyres, Elizabeth Ferry, Christina Forrer, Maddy Inez, Marina Kappos, Shradha Kochar, Adam Miller, JP Munro, Cindy Phenix, Jon Pylypchuk, Jagdeep Raina, Kevin Reinhardt, Reinhart Selvik, Mindy Shapero, Falon Stuzman, Christian Tedeschi, Paul Pascal Theriault and Eric Wesley.
Erica Eyres exhibits a series of three ceramic Sweety Valley High Books which are displayed on a plinth. Eyres’ methodology involves collecting the books as models, then hand sculpting and carving the books in clay. These are fired then glazed, then fired again after applying digital transfers to the book covers. As sculptures, the objects acquire a symbolic weight and allude to girlhood as experienced within a historically specific time. The titles of the books (The Stolen Diary, Promises and Love Letters) allude to melodramatic narratives while withholding specific plot lines, permitting the viewer to project their own memories and narratives.
The exhibition title is derived from a quote in Thorton Wilder’s play Our Town. In the play, the character Emily is given the opportunity to relive a mundane day and realizes she cannot fully absorb every aspect of it. She asks the stage manager, “Does anyone ever realize life while they live it... every, every minute?” The stage manager responds, “No. Saints and poets maybe.. they do some”.
The exhibition proposed a dichotomy between saints and poets, with being representative of ideas while poets symbolize tangible objects. Saints must be conceptual to exist; one must suspend disbelief to manifest a saint. Poets, on the other hand, compose physical words that occupy space and can be touched and felt. With this dichotomy in mind, the show brings together works that explore this notion of poetry through tangible objects and sainthood through a suspension of disbelief. In the press release, Pylypchuck poses the question, “Art can embody both concepts, but how it is experienced by the viewer raise the question: is it a saint or a poet?”
Erica Eyres exhibits a series of three ceramic Sweety Valley High Books which are displayed on a plinth. Eyres’ methodology involves collecting the books as models, then hand sculpting and carving the books in clay. These are fired then glazed, then fired again after applying digital transfers to the book covers. As sculptures, the objects acquire a symbolic weight and allude to girlhood as experienced within a historically specific time. The titles of the books (The Stolen Diary, Promises and Love Letters) allude to melodramatic narratives while withholding specific plot lines, permitting the viewer to project their own memories and narratives.
The exhibition title is derived from a quote in Thorton Wilder’s play Our Town. In the play, the character Emily is given the opportunity to relive a mundane day and realizes she cannot fully absorb every aspect of it. She asks the stage manager, “Does anyone ever realize life while they live it... every, every minute?” The stage manager responds, “No. Saints and poets maybe.. they do some”.
The exhibition proposed a dichotomy between saints and poets, with being representative of ideas while poets symbolize tangible objects. Saints must be conceptual to exist; one must suspend disbelief to manifest a saint. Poets, on the other hand, compose physical words that occupy space and can be touched and felt. With this dichotomy in mind, the show brings together works that explore this notion of poetry through tangible objects and sainthood through a suspension of disbelief. In the press release, Pylypchuck poses the question, “Art can embody both concepts, but how it is experienced by the viewer raise the question: is it a saint or a poet?”
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Place of Publication | Los Angeles, USA |
| Publisher | Megan Mulrooney Gallery |
| Publication status | Published - 26 Aug 2024 |