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June 2005
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Exhibition Review: Salt Lake City
Hot Stuff at Utah Arts Alliance
by Kent Rigby

Hey, all you avant-garde’ art fans, check out the new photography exhibit featuring some really wild looking work by Scott Alger and Derek Dyer at Utah Arts Alliance, 2191 South 300 West, upstairs. Call 651-3937 for gallery hours.

Scott Alger is a native Utahan now living and working in Soho, New York. His work is electric. Maybe that’s a result of him being struck by lightning a couple of years ago. The story is that he was on top of a building in New York and got struck by lightning. He survived, but was blinded temporarily. The photographs on exhibit were done since he regained his sight.

These are color photos, and man, I mean color with a capitol C. The colors are bright and vivid, and the images are kinetic. Figures are in motion and seemingly collaged on top of each other as if created by multiple time-lapse exposures. Could be digitally manipulated as well. Cool, very cool. Or I should say, hot, very hot.

There are a lot of interior scenes, wicked party scenes. Sort of what you would imagine finding at real decadent underground parties in New York. Wild people, cooked out of their gourds, and this manic, lightning-fried photographer, just as cooked as everyone else, running around snapping photo after photo with his motorized Canon. Anyway, that’s what these photos look like. The figures and faces are outlined with what Alger terms a “lazar” light, which really emphasizes the kinetic effect. Sometimes the “lazer” spells out words or draws symbols in the negative space.

The prints are 20” x 24” and taped on the wall. This cuts way down on framing costs, makes the pieces easy to transport, and adds to the avant-garde’ effect. Kudos to Scott Alger, this guy has moxie!

Alger is reported to be showing concurrently in Berlin, Germany at Galerie Bergstub’l Veteranenstra 25 10110 Berlin.

OK, everyone has heard of Derek Dyer, right, the guy with the world’s largest disco ball? Dyer is the Executive Director of Utah Arts Alliance and is well known for both his artwork and events.

Dyer is exhibiting photographs from his LIQUID PEOPLE, GLOW PEOPLE, and LASER PEOPLE series.

They work well with the Alger images. They are also colorful and kinetic, but with a softer, more blurred feel. Like longer time lapse shots with the camera jiggled about.

Dyer’s stuff is also all about people, but the images are not quite as literal as Alger’s scenarios.

They are “action’ shots and have a sense of playfulness like Alger’s, but have a very different style and feel to them. While Alger’s record the party life, Dyer’s record more nondescript events. Like Alger, Dyer uses hand held lights to draw lines on the film while the shutter is open. But Dyer doesn’t get into writing words or symbols.

Dyer also was running projector art when I was there. Also very visually interesting stuff. Check it out as well.

Anyway, this is a very cool show and one the younger crowd, or young at heart, like me, should really enjoy. Take your time and have fun looking, imagining, and enjoying vicariously.

OK, that’s it for now, later alligator.


SLC Galleries
What's Up and Upcoming
Compiled by 15 Bytes Staff. Unless otherwise noted, UPCOMING shows begin June Gallery Stroll, June 17th, with a reception 6 to 9 pm.

MUSEUM OF UTAH ART & HISTORY: Ella at 100: The Paintings of Ella Peacock this summer, June 3--July 31.

E STREET GALLERY UP: "Imaginings Manifest" paintings and assemblage by Brink Chipman. Thru July 14.

CONTEMPORARY DESIGN & ART GALLERY (30 E. Broadway #105) UP: Nude Series from Evgeniy Zolotsev, unique surreal mini sculpture series from Michael Melik and artworks from internationally known artists: Joan Duran(Mexico), Elena Vasilevska(Ukraine), Asher Sadeh(Canada), Lena Fedorov(Russia).

K.A.Y.O. GALLERY (315 E. 300 South) — An exhibition by graduating seniors from the University of Utah's art department through June 17.

DAVID ERICSON FINE ART (418 S. 200 West, 533-8245) Recent paintings by Edie Roberson through June 20.

A GALLERY UP:Abstract Paintings by University of Utah professor, John O'Connell. UPCOMING: Trevor Southey (see article center column).

NEW VISIONS : Utah 2002 Reunion (see article in middle column)

Exhibition Review: Salt Lake City
Nostalgia for Art & Artists Past
by Shawn Rossiter and Kasey Boone

Remember the Olympics? Everyone thought we'd all get rich. Instead, turned out that all our international visitors stayed within a four block radius downtown to drink beer and go to parties. Go figure.

Though most of our guests didn't get a chance to see them, a couple of shows during the Olympics featured a broad range of Utah artists. 15 Bytes awarded its own "Gold Medal" to one of these shows, the UtahArt 2002 exhibit in Salt Lake City. Well, this month, New Visions Gallery has held a class reunion for the artists who participated in the 2002 exhibit. Don't worry, they haven't dusted off the 2002 works and brought them out (though we wouldn't mind seeing some of those again). Rather, the artists in the original exhibit have contributed new works for this show. What is impressive about this show -- and about the original -- is how vibrant, accomplished and just plain interesting the Utah art scene is shown to be. From the abstract work of Lee Deffebach to the detailed landscapes of Clay Wagstaff. From the flashy details of gears by Ani Heinig to the photographic montages of Edward Bateman and David Dornan's paint-splattered paintings of paint-splattered rooms, -- 2002 Revisited is a testament to the breadth of work available in Utah. Make sure to stop in this week to check out the show. Contained in one room you'll see why many of us choose to remain in the relatively small and isolated Utah scene.

For nostalgia of a slightly different nature, visit the Patrick Moore Gallery (511 West 200 South) for Paul Heath's exhibit, Pop (& Pulp) Nostalgia. Heath's exhibit is a rollicking reminiscence through the pop world of the 1940s and 1950s. Pulp fiction posters, skyscraper cityscapes, the iconic taxis, buses and pop paraphernalia of a by-gone era -- Heath pays homage to them all. Heath is in love with the Salt Lake that used to be, and gives its landmarks as much devotion as other artists might give to New York or Chicago.

Heath's exhibit resembles that of Allen Bishop's at the Rose Wagner (see last month). He has pushed the concept of painting by assembling works out of multiple pieces of wood. His pieces are both two-dimensional paintings as well as three-dimensional relief pieces. They are the pop realism of Bishop's abstraction. A 3-D Construction of downtown Salt Lake City is combined with a Pollock-esque backdrop in "Downtown Lavender from 'Lost Pollock' Series." In "Siena Diorama" he does something similar with the Italian hilltown, using painted wood and colored glass as the "sky" element of the work. Heath even creates a couple of his pieces out of painted tiles, grouted together.

If you missed the May Gallery Stroll, or are going to be out of town for June's, but still want to rub shoulders with other art patrons, then try the Rockwood Art Studios quarterly Open House going on this weekend, June 3rd and 4th. Located in Sugarhouse, the Rockwood Studios is home to over twenty artists as well as a few galleries. During the open house, most of the artists have their studios open, their food on hand and their art ready to sell.

Looking forward, you might think that during the summer things would be slowing down, but this is certainly not the case. One of the big events of the June stroll will be the Trevor Southey exhibit at A Gallery in the Foothill area. Southey, a native of Rhodesia and former BYU professor, has a national reputation and a loyal local following from his years in Utah before moving to the San Francisco area. He has an exquisite ability to capture the human body and integrates his classically inspired figures with contemporary elements of design, collage and paint application.

The Patrick Moore Gallery will feature the Galls Art Guild's second annual "A Gathering of Glass." It's not a reunion tour of the Dale Chihuly glass show from the Olympics, but the luminous quality of the glass on display will still delight.

For a complete guide to what will be up at the next Gallery Stroll, browse through our UP and UPCOMING listings and visit www.gallerystroll.org later this month.


SALTRGRASS PRINTMAKERS GALLERY — "Two Printmakers, Two Perspectives," featuring prints by Justin Diggle and Steve Lockett, through June 10.

UNKNOWN GALLERY UP:Icons and Idols, an open call for entry theme show with works byKeith Bryce, John-Mikael Carlile, Dan Christofferson, Max Grundy, Ricky Hansing, Delano James, Zach Larkin, Holly Mae Pendergast, PolishNinja, Andy Pitts, Mike Simpson, Romy Shafkind, Steve Stones, Aleksandr Taymer, Will Varner, Claudia Wach-Beetz.

UTAH ARTIST HANDS: UP: The multi-faceted spirit of nature presented on canvas, furniture, and jewelry by Stephanie Saint-Thomas

HORNE FINE ART UP:"MOTHER EARTH", featuring an array of fertile landscapes and garden scenes by Ken Baxter, Doug Braithwaite, Antony Cox, Traci O'Very Covey, Barbara Summers Edwards, Glen Edwards, Karen Horne, Phyllis F. Horne and others.

ART ACCESS GALLERY: UP: 300 Plates. UPCOMING: Holly Mae Pendergast watercolors.

PHILLIPS GALLERY:   UP: Chris Coleman. Known locally as that wild eyed sculptor with a fever for art, Coleman’s work is seen at the Utah Arts Festival each year, taking up a good portion of the east square. His wonderful water fountains, over sized chairs and tables, and wind propelled sculpture always wow the crowds. For the exhibit at Phillips Gallery he has produced both indoor and outdoor works to fill the main floor including wall sculpture and a water fountain (in the courtyard). .









WOMENS ART CENTER: ­On Friday, June 17, 2005, The Women's Art Center will be hosting a fundraiser. Curated by local Salt Lake artist, Leia Bell. Paper Dolls Ladies of Gig Poster Art will feature the work of female artists from around the world. And of course the work of Leia Bell, who's poster art was recently published in the book Art of Modern Rock. Original, signed prints, tee-shirts, books and other items will be for sale and a percentage of the profits go to The Women's Art Center, a non-profit organization. Live entertainment provided by Will Sartain. Admission to the opening night reception is $10 on June 17th, but the show will be free to the public during business hours through the end of July.
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ROSE WAGNER ARTS CENTER : Albert Wint and Allen Bishop through June.

THE ART IS IN UP: Through June, the Naif style art of Symeon.

ART BARN : UP Court Bennett, sculpture / installation; Layne Meacham, paintings,Carol Koleman, photography (Park Gallery). UPCOMING June 10 thru July 29th the paintings of Susan Beck and the sculpture of David Starks.

MICHAEL BERRY GALLERY (754 E. South Temple; 521-0243) UP: "Western Palette" watercolors by Rebecca Livermore.

RIO GALLERY (300 S 455 W; 533-3582) “Fact and Fiction” of papier mache – a modified world by Kindred Spirits’ Artists thru June 10.

PATRICK MOORE GALLERY (511 W 200 S; 521-5999) UP: Paul Heath, “Pop (& Pulp) Nostalgia” (see article center column) UPCOMING: Glass Art Guild of Utah's second annual "A Gathering of Glass" group exhibition.

3W GALLERY (159 W. Broadway) — "Washed Up," featuring art by Joe Babcock and Bruce Maurey through July 8.

SALT LAKE ART CENTER: Adam Worden collages (see May edition). Beginning June 25, Fresh Ink: Prints from Flatbed Press. Continues through September 25.

TRASA (741 S 400 W) “Look” in collaboration with Amnesty International. Exploring body in the context of global politics. Large scale paintings by Kadee Leishman and an experimental Documentary “Outright” by Amy Caron.

EVERGREEN ART AND FRAMING (3295 S 2000 E; 467-8770) Impressionistic oil paintings by Mike Card.

BURNT PURPLE GALLERY (4835 Highland, Suite 1185, 277-2420) — New gallery featuring art by local artists. Opening exhibit is an Old Masters show of works on paper.

LOCAL COLORS ARTWORKS (Trolley Square; 531-6966) Shirley McKay (painting) Sandi Olson (painting) Gail Piccoli (glass) and Tom Jackson (Sculpture).

MAGPIES NEST Group show.

CHROMA GALLERY: New works by Darryl Erdmann & John Bell. 1064 East 2100 South, SLC.