design-phan
PHILADELPHIA: NOT JUST FOR SPORTS FANS

hotel palomar: philly's first kimpton
To truly achieve world-class city status, a metropolis needs at least a handful of sophisticated boutique hotels. Philly's getting another when the Hotel Palomar opens mid-October. I had a chance to tour the refurbished Architects Building by Paul Cret at 17th and Sansom, where the hotel and restaurant reside, earlier this week so I snapped some pics:



Part of the brand identity of the Kimpton's Palomar hotels is "Art in Motion." In this Palomar, much of the art has to do with either Philadelphia or architecture. The blown-up scribblings behind the reception desk are the scribblings of two different architects. There are a few Philadelphia artists represented in the hotel, including Whitney Babin and Kimberly Brickley, but in a city so rich with talented artists, there could certainly be more.

Kim Brickley (MFA '09) in Solo Show at Amos Eno Gallery, June 24-July 11


The tension between the natural and unnatural is a consistent thread in much of what Kim Brickley makes, especially the space where the two overlap, as well as how this overlap and tension influence our self-perception. The orange-powdered cheese and blue Kool-Aid dust that is advertised as food fascinates and disgusts Kim, as does the preserved open cadavers photographed for medical books.
The spaces in this work could be seen as systemic portraits, with the aim of examining the incomprehensibility of existence through scanned medical imaging, biochemical reaction, and psychological space. Despite all of our current technological imagery, a distinct disconnect still exists between the image of an interior of a body and our personal understanding of it.
The title Syn-chronic refers to the synchronicity of bodily function, and how it eventually falters into sickness and degeneration, and the constant struggle between thriving and contaminated tissue. Chronic also refers to the compulsive daily habits of our culture that contribute to this slowly faltering synchronicity, such as the daily pollutants from urban post-industrial society and culture. By exploring the converse of this disconnect through abstraction and materiality of media, Kim wants this disconnect to be seen it in a less clinical and more alive way.

Opening Reception: Thursday July 2, 2009 from 5:30 to 8:30 PM
Exhibition Dates: June 24- July 11, 2009

Amos Eno Gallery
111 Front Street, #202
Brooklyn, NY 11201
Alex Wixon, Director

My trip to Dumbo was prompted by a desire to see the new HQ of A. I. R., whose director is Katherine Griefen (daughter of John) and whose current shows are “Joan Snitzler: Momentarily” and “Nivi Alroy: Fruiting Bodies” (both through July 19). Leaving A.I.R, my eye was caught by brightly-colored abstract paintings visible through the windows of nearby Amos Eno. The show was “Syn-Chronic: new works by Kim Brickley,” and its five larger paintings were, in one way or another, named for body parts. “Kidney,” the best, was a tall, lively vertical, with orange, white, yellow and mauve the dominant colors, and the use of pouring obvious. Its media and ground were plastic resin, Kool-Aid, and wood glue on coated Styrofoam. Also good were “Skin” and “Brat (Angry on the Inside).” The accompanying artist’s statement explained that this show was not only about medical imaging, but also Kool-Aid dust that “fascinates and disgusts” the artist, while “Syn-chronic” refers to how bodily function “eventually falters into sickness and degeneration.” Brickley was born in 1980, and received her MFA (from the University of Pennsylvania) this year. She would probably be horrified to learn that an elderly formalist liked any of the work in her show.

Where There's Smoke, There's Smoke
2009 PennDesign MFA Graduate Exhibition in New York

July 23- August 15, 2009
Opening Reception: Thursday, July 23rd from 6-8pm

Michael Steinberg Fine Art
526 W. 26th St. Suite 215
New York, NY 10001
t: 212-924-5770
www.michaelsteinbergfineart.com

Expansive and challenging, the artwork presented in this exhibition deals with a diverse range of subject matter, realized in various media. Experiments in activism, examinations of subjective realities, America's rusting industrial and recreational Edens, deadpan re-creations of childhood, chest-beating, pleasure and enlightenment all combine to form a unique body of work from an outstanding group of young artists.

The Artists: Kim Brickley, Edward L. Carey, Jessica Clauser, Jennifer Ruiz Copeland, Jaimeson Daley, Kurt Freyer, Tia-Simone Gardner, Elizabeth Hoy, Tetsugo Hyakutake, Jules Joseph, Kate Kaman, Antonio McAfee, Jessa McFarlane, Nicolas McMahon, Aaron Metté, Evi Numen, Cecelia Post, Jaime Roth, Rebecca Sargent, Peter Schenck, Emilie Selden, Laura Shema, Nicole White, Ricardo Zapata



Many of the twenty-four emerging artists in this exhibition have received special recognition from prestigious organizations for their recent endeavors. Highlights of their collective accolades include numerous exhibitions throughout the United States, a Dedalus Foundation Award, Jacob K. Javits Fellowship, Fulbright Scholar, and Whitney Independent Study Award.

Gallery Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 11-6pm

Kim Brickley, Rebecca Sargent, and Nicole White (All MFA '09) in Exhibit at Rodger LaPelle, Opening August 7

Recent MFA graduates Kim Brickley, Rebecca Sargent, and Nicole White will show in an exhibit titled Fractured Territory at Rodger LaPelle Gallery in Philadelphia.

Opening Reception: Friday, August 7, 5:00 - 10:00pm
Exhibition Dates: August 1 - 30, 2009

Rodger LaPelle Galleries
122 N Third Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106
215-592-0232
www.rodgerlapellegalleries.com
rodgerlapellegalleries@yahoo.com

Gallery Hours: Wednesday to Sunday, 12:00 - 6:00pm

See more of Kim's work at http://kimbrickley.com/home.html