Andy Cook's Book Release and Photography Exhibit @ the Metro Gallery

City on Fire
Andy Cook
October 28 - December 4
Opening: Thursday, October 28
7:00pm
Metro Gallery

'City On Fire' is a collection of photographs taken in Baltimore by Andy Cook between 2005 and 2010. This special exhibit will be showcasing work from the two, well anticipated books that Andy will finally release on October 28th! IN THE AIR and SOUND OF FIRE focus heavily on the city's blossoming creative scenes, and set them against a backdrop of landscapes and every-day stories. They are odes to a singular city, brimming with possibility among the ruins and bursting with interesting people.

Musical guests include AK Slaughter and Mickey Free!

http://www.andycookphotography.com/books/books.html

Wild Nothing @ the Metro Gallery

WILD NOTHING

Art Opening w/ a special acoustic performance by FUTURE ISLANDS!!
Saturday, July 10, 2010
7:00pm - 11:00pm
Metro Gallery 1700 N. Charles

Frolic in the heat with an exhibit of four-sided flashbacks of young summertime.

Thirteen artists reveal through photography the summer experience of heyday and youthful abandon. The collection of images exemplifies the excited energy innate to the heated season and the grittiness that accentuates it.

Alyssa Robb, Monique Crabb, Jordan Bernier, Andrew Laumann, Katie Rose, Beth Höeckel, Lesser Gonzalez, William Cashion, Dan Franz, Elena Johnston, Natasha Tylea, Jen Mizgata and Abe Sanders

With a special acoustic set from Future Islands!

Bikinis, sunsets, flip flops, seashells, soil, shades, Pretty Boy, summer romance, bare feet, ponytails, lemonade, splish splash, picnics, ice cream, sun bathing, Hawaiian music, blonde hair, sweaty bodies, sand castles and waves...

Love & Heartbreak: new works by Katy Keefe and Samuel Payne @ The Metro Gallery

“Love & Heartbreak: new works by Katy Keefe and Samuel Payne”
January 14 through February 27 2010
Opening Reception: January 14 at 7pm
Metro Gallery

Intensely personal and layered with texture, Keefe’s paintings, drawings and photographs are inspired by the romantic, as an answer to Payne’s heart-wrenching, violent paintings and works-on-paper inspired by heartbreak and scorn. Despite the immediate contradictory nature of the two perspectives, the works are thematically united under the auspices of passion, devotion and enlightenment. Using totems and hero worship, Keefe glorifies while Payne simultaneously destroys. The dense works of the two artists are aesthetically complex compositions constructed meticulously of accumulating detail and narratives. The work is both genuinely personal and universally metaphorical. Keefe and Payne utilize their joint belief in the constant presence of separation and division to establish a dialogue regarding heaven and hell, the dichotomy of brokenness, and the question of power and rule in daily life. “Love & Heartbreak” is an exhibition of journeys, failures, enlightenment, and common experience.

Katy Keefe is a Chicago artist working in painting, drawing and installation. Her new Love series comes from recent enlightenment that begins with a singular person and extends to an entire population. Drawing on patterns of hope, growth and defeat, they address the truth self: one that can be filled with struggle while simultaneously projecting true love. Her brightly colored paintings are a kaleidoscope of plant life, earthy soils, depictions of her recent lover and natural psychedelic experiences found in the woods. These works exist to inspire, awe and transport. The Love series is a reconfigured reality lush with stimulation.

Samuel Payne is a Seattle-based artist working in painting, video, and installation. His new Heartbreak series takes the struggle of American ideals of lovesick cowboy notions and intermingles them with his own emotional turmoil. Traveling the American soil has become a vital aspect of Payne’s artistic process and manifests as a patchwork in his new work. Stacks of cowboy hats, heartbroken maidens, cacti, and narrative structures involving figures such as Merle Haggard, Waylon Jennings and the like are a few of his inspirations. The Heartbreak series is constructed with a particular brand of airiness and humor, owing to Paynes’ uniquely complicated style.

The Pendulum, The Pit, and Hope opens @ Metro Gallery

The Pendulum, The Pit, and Hope
New work from Natasha Tylea
Opening Reception: November 7, 2009 at 8pm
November 7th through November 29th
Metro Gallery


This work strives to find the most overlooked or ordinarily mundane
subjects and locate the corner where it all gets weird. To witness the
irk in life. Little explorations in the moment between a grim reality
and a possibly great reality, the space between despair and
enlightenment. There is a comfort there, as these sensations are the
sustenance of life, but there is also the spook of fate in our bones.
The photographs conjure this sensation while giving new light to the
spook. There is always a sense of hope in all these mixed emotions, if
one resists the whitewashing methods of this America and the dumbing,
numbing, narrowing down of letting fear live here. The photographs are
carefully conceived in seconds. The work is often composed entirely of
painterly moods from hues, stark instances, quaint folks or insect
perspectives. The camera for Natasha, lives in this hope and that
spook, and channels it by hand.

Photos from Stuff: Domestic Treasures

Natasha Tylea, KФkken Historier (Kitchen Stories)

Katherine St Paul Hill, Bears and Balloons

Elena Johnston, Framework

Dina Kelberman, Three Walls of My Room

Monique Crabb, Blue Elvis

Katie Rose, Globe Collection (around the world in Katie days)

Stefani Levin, Tiny House

inside Tiny House

Stuff: Domestic Treasures opens @ Metro Gallery

Stuff: Domestic Treasures

Saturday, September 12, 2009 – 7 p.m.
DJ Nugget and DJ Eskimodane play music. 7-10


Baltimore artists Natasha Tylea and Elena Johnston welcome seven notable local artists to showcase their domestic treasures. This exhibition is about the objects that we, as artists, assign meaning to. The private shrines we create in our intimate spaces, studios, and bedrooms. It is important to celebrate not only the artists’ creations, but the stuff that they find inspiration in. These simple objects work together to explain the way these artists interpret themselves. The show will take the form of installations complete with tokens and collections.

Participating Artists:
Monique Crabb takes photographs and is a director of the Current Gallery.
Shaun Flynn is a Baltimore musician who makes posters and sculptures.
Katherine St Paul Hill is a singer of Lexie Mountain Boys, makes drawings, and decorates cakes at Charm City Cakes.
Elena Johnston is an illustrator who publishes art books.
Dina Kelberman is a part of Wham City and makes comics.
Victoria Legrand is the singer for Baltimore band, Beach House.
Stefani Levin is a part of Wham City and makes puppets.
Katie Rose makes drawings, loves maps, and decorates cakes at Charm City Cakes.
Natasha Tylea makes photos, melts metal and mixes music.

Videopolis @ Metro Gallery

Videopolis 2009
May 8th-10th

Metro Gallery 1700 N Charles Street

In an effort to explore the tangible boundaries of the moving image, Videopolis showcases local fringe film and video work at the Metro Gallery, 1700 North Charles St. in Baltimore. The festival includes features, shorts, and live performances that manipulate the moving image, as well as video installations that will be available for viewing for a month. The festivities begin Friday, May 8th with music videos and performances by System D-128, DrewTube, Dubpixel and Bardot’s Gems From the Vault. Saturday, May 9th will feature “One Down”, comedy shorts and performances by Steve Strohmeier, Jana Hunter and Papercuts. Sunday, May 10th we’ll screen feature “Isle of the Damned”, documentary shorts, and close with a live performance of an original score to Fritz Lang’s “Metropolis” by Adrian Bond and Joanne Juskus. All events are free except Saturday evening’s performances, for which there is a $7 cover. Please see below for a detailed schedule.

Friday May 8th

8:00 pm - Dubpixel Live VJ Set

9:00 pm - Music Videos

10:00 pm - Bardot’s Gems from the Film Vault

11:00 pm - Systen D-128 aka Duey FM Live VJ Set

12:30 pm - Drew TV YouTube Mixx

Saturday May 9th

12:30 pm - Partita: Mathew Bainbridge

2:00 pm - One Down: Brian Morrison

3:45 pm - Written World: Kevin Blackistone

5:00 pm - Comedy Shorts

Billy Dee
Unicorn, P.I.

Geoffrey Kixmiller /
Gideon Chase
Brand New Feelings

Mobtelevision
Death Takes a Holiday
Motel 6

Jason Dove
Klang Tour Journals,

James Hollenbaugh/ James Roden
Dec. 2666

Stephen DeCubellis /Jim Bianco
I Got a Thing for You

6:30 pm - Grab Bag Shorts

9:00 pm - LIVE SHOW $7 21 and Up
Papercuts, Jana Hunter, Steve Strohmeier
w/ Live VJ sets by Guy Werner and Joe Reinsel

Sunday May 10th

2:00 pm - Isle Of The Damned: DireWit Films

3:45 pm - Documentary Shorts

Morgan Showalter
NTSC

Jane Cottis
It’s a Lesbian World After All

Becka Dowding
Love, Mississippi

5:00 pm - Narrative Shorts

Katherine Boule/Glenn Nelson
Misplaced

Joel Haddock
Better View

6:00 pm - Experimental Shorts

Mike Bartolomeo
A Model for the Motion of a Spring

Emma Walters
Travelling Gnome

Brendan Sullivan
Monoliths

Suzzi Skripkina
The Garden

Suzzi Skripkina
Soundscape

Emily Slaughter
Arizona

Amy Mann
Hair

James Robert Brasic
Dream

Selina Loper
Dominoes

Eric Dyer
Copenhagen Cycles
Kinetic Sandwich

7:30 pm - “Metropolis” w/ Live music by: Adrian Bond and Joanne Juskus

10:30 pm - Grab Bag Shorts

AK Slaughter and friends @ Metro Gallery

Saturday, Jan 31st @ The Metro Gallery

1700 N. Charles St, Baltimore, MD

$7

8pm doors 9pm show

SNACKS - Legendary and amazing hyper-instrumentalist duo that makes fantastic ear-boggling noises.

AK Slaughter - ur fave

Baby Venom - Excellent rock combo who is tons of fun

The Agrarians - Lo-Fi Folk rock for thinking people.

Friday, October 17 Art Events

Andy Cook's Photo Show Closing event with a performance by AK Slaughter and The Art Department, my two favorite bands. Ever. Go to this. 6-8pm @ School 33, 1427 Light Street

Bailout! Group show art event at Metro Gallery
1700 North Charles Street
October 17th, 7pm


Cliff Evans: E M P Y R E A N

October 17 - November 22

Opening Reception Friday, October 17, 2008, 6 - 10 pm

THE LIBRARY
1401 Light Street Baltimore, MD 21230

The Library (Baltimore, MD) and Curator's Office (Washington, DC) are pleased to co-present Empyrean, a five-channel HD video projection by noted New York based artist Cliff Evans.

Naked Baltimore Opens @ Metro Gallery

Is it just me, or does the Metro Gallery's "gallery" kind of suck? It is almost impossible to make a show look good in that space, Videopolis being an exception, but honestly, 'the bigger the better' seems to be the way to play it. That being said, Naked Baltimore, a show that fancies itself as being a little out of the ordinary, was mistakenly hung in a predictable, traditional style and at minuscule-almost sheepish-sizes. Uli Loskot and Jefferson Jackson Steele presented their photographs of naked Baltimore-ians (though on closer inspection it appeared to be 15 of Baltimore's exhibitionists-and lord knows there are more out there- showing off their shit, over and over again) while accumulating willing, release-signing subjects throughout the evening.

By selecting numbers at random, gallery-goers-turned-artists'-models were taken into a private room in the back to have their naked pictures taken, each emerging with a souvenir print. Hopefully, these additional photographs will help them to fill out future exhibitions, as many of the photos were repeated. Honestly, in this city, is it really that hard to find people who are willing to take off their clothes? Perhaps 'less is more,' as well as 'the bigger the better,' especially when it comes to photography, a little editing would have gone a long way.



Unfortunately, events like this take all kinds...if you don't like weird dudes coming up to you and starting conversations by asking "are you one of the subjects?" and then encouraging you to consider it in the future-this is not the exhibition for you (I suggest the buddy-system for creep-avoidance). But all in all, it was a fun event, and hopefully a tradition that will continue and improve.


Check out your friends, neighbors and familiar faces (now bodies) on view at the Metro Gallery, 1700 N Charles St

Naked Baltimore at Metro Gallery

Come to the Metro Gallery on September 13th for the opening of Naked Baltimore, a photo exhibit that bares all. Photographs taken by Uli Loskot and Jefferson Jackson Steele will be on display. Opening reception from 7 pm to midnight with musical performances by Jason Dove, the Expotentials, the Falsies, and Eureka Birds.

Playthings: Trendiest Show On The Block

Playthings, a show whose advertised theme is that of whimsy and the spirit and function of toys, seems to include all the most popular trends in art within the past 10 years---video game imagery, crafting, low quality digital print outs, large-scale paper cut outs, fashion emblems and, of course, vaginas. This is not necessarily a criticism, but definitely a distracting aspect of the overall exhibition. Somewhere in all this trendiness, the theme gets a little lost.

Ryan Cecil Smith's paper sculptures

Looking like its straight out of Bedrock, a Prehistoric Jukebox

The Metro Gallery may have been a hard space in which to form a full vision of this show, it is a little unfriendly in its harsh divide of space and long, high walls. Perhaps if the walls were hung salon-style, the place filled, overwhelmingly with color and toys, it would have felt less disjointed and more like a toy store--more whimsy than trend.

Pam and Meghan Clay in front of Meghan's paper wall installation

Alex Worthington's fashionable, fake food...previously featured but we love it.

Much of the work appears to be that of the curator's friends and acquaintances, a larger pool of artists would have undoubtedly brought a freshness to the exhibition, where it felt some pieces were shoe-horned into the theme. None of this is to say, however, that the work included in not interesting or cool, because all of it is very "cool" and many of the pieces are very engaging. It just goes to show that if there is this much talent at arms length, why not reach farther? This was Levin's first time curating--a tremendous undertaking--her exhibition was a solid start from which she can only improve.

Dina Kelberman's digital print outs

Curator/Artist Stefani Levin in front of her sewn piece

Playthings

PLAYTHINGS, a group show featuring work involving/inspired by/intended
for the act of play will be opening at the Metro Gallery next
Thursday, May 8th. The opening will be fun, this is a personal
promise. Please come. It is from 7 to 11pm, and the gallery is located
at 1700 N Charles Street. AND don't quote me on this, but I heard
there might be free booze. I will get back to you on this.

PLAYTHINGS features work by (in no particular order): Ben Fino-Radin,
Milana Braslavsky, Dina Kelberman, Alex Worthington, Ryan Cecil Smith,
Natalie Jenison, Noel Friebert, Nik Pence, Meghan Clay, Michael
Gerkovich, Giuliana Pinto, and Stefani Levin.