Photos from the Opening of Authorship, Appropriation, The Artist, The Found @ The Annex

Virginia Warwick as Olivia the turtle with her Little Mermaid paintings

Melissa Webb

Jim Rieck

Curator Michael Farley as Dynasty Handbag

Christian Martinelli

Found art

Patrick McDonough above and below

Patrick McDonough (left) Jim Lucio (middle) found art (right)

Carolina Mayorga

Found art

Milana Braslavsky

Performance art covers: Mike Farley as Dynasty Handbag

Tim, Kaitlin and Evan as Drizzlestorm

Agenda Opens @ Current Gallery

Cellphone/ipod installation by Edie Fake

Agenda, the ambitious new show curated by Jamillah James, opened at Current Gallery on Friday. The show includes work by over 30 artists, including Ten Tigers' friends Michael Farley, Xavier Shipani, and Owen Brightman and video pieces by art world oddballs/darlings Ryan Trecartin and Dynasty Handbag.

Owen Brightman's "flag"...I will never be able to look at the letter A the same way.

Artist Mike Farley

The show has a fun house feel-bright, bold and overstimulating, and it rules. There are a million things to look at, interact with and watch, you almost want to do it in two trips. It is nearly impossible to get through all the videos, or at least a serious time investment to do so.

Jeffrey Augustine Songco's dreamcatchers

Looping videos by 12 artists, including Dynasty Handbag, next to Xavier Shipani's flag

Hermonie Williams in front of Jeffery Augustine Songco's "Self Portrait #1: You Look Better Online"

Ryan Trecartin's "A Family Finds Entertainment"

Dylan Mira and Latham Zearfoss's video piece

Lexi watching Latham Zearfoss's video piece

Marty Weishaar admiring Lex Young's photos from a performance piece

Me, reflected in Jeffrey Augustino Songco's "Self Portrait #5: Next Time You Take a Pic"

Mike Benevento

"Pinups" by Christopher Schulz

Xavier Shipani's rad drawings

In addition to the installed pieces, there are 4 supplemental screenings:
11/22, 7 pm PILOT TV, a 2004 Chicago (trans-)feminist experimental media conference
11/23, 7 pm Paris is Burning, the 1987 Jenny Livingstone documentary about drag balls held by African-American and Latino-American men in New York City
11/29, 7 pm Sexy, Wiggy, Desserty (1982-1992), an anthology of works by seminal underground queer video artist Tom Rubnitz
11/30, 7 pm I-BE AREA¬ (2007), the critically acclaimed 100-minute video by artist Ryan Trecartin

Details, above and below, from Michael Farley's "Sex in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction".....Walter Benjamin nod, YES.

Rebecca Nagle's fifteen minute performances

Agenda will be on view through December 5th, check it out. For more information, visit Current's website.

The Written World @ Copycat Annex

In Evan Moritz’s new play, The Written World, we are shown an apocalyptic portrayal of spiritual abandonment; the ultimate freedom. This original work touches on the idea of a world where God has given up on people. The main character is the Deacon of the Church of God Reworded (played by Tim Paggi). He is the last living human. His lonely existence is plagued by the ghosts of his past; memories that retell the demise of the world. In this work we meet the Reverend (played by Chris Shivers), the creator of the new bible, who believes he made God disconnect from society. We also meet St Katherine of Pittsburgh (played by Kaitlin Murphy) who inspired the mass suicide that destroyed the rest of the living world. Living a life filled with nothing but beauty and pleasure, mankind became bored and that ultimately became the downfall of a perfect society. God created a sonic race (voiced by Rusty Burke and Becca Cohn) to bring beauty and joy to humans, but after years as the last human, the Deacon was annoyed by them.

Over all the play was enjoyable, though confusing. Upon entering the performance space, everyone was handing a glass of wine and was told to wait until “the right time” to drink it. This interactivity was very satisfying as the audience was able to partake in the symbolic drinking of St Katherine’s blood.

The set was very impressive with stacks of books and pages plastered to the walls, as well as an installation by Michael Farley. Music by Owen Gardner. The costumes created by Grace Bedwell were very appropriate, with wild patterns paired with subtle earth tones. Their worn looking construction evoked a utopian time fading and a transition to dissolution of minds and bodies. We only wish that the costumes worn by the Voices were eventually shown to the audience because they were also fantastic.

Installation by Michael Farley:

Written by Sara Seidman and Sarah Matson