15 BYTES September 2005 page 7, Scott Fife, Graffiti Art, Skyscapes at Horne Fine Art, Sculpture at A Gallery, and other exhibitions in Salt Lake

Up and Upcoming: Salt Lake City

Sculptures, Themes and The Streets

by Shawn Rossiter & Kasey Boone

Every time we put together an edition of 15 Bytes we feel, in a sense, like curators -- choosing what shows or artists to highlight and what articles to put next to each other. Though usually by chance, sometimes a month in the Utah artworld, at least as revealed by 15 Bytes, will take on a certain theme or approach.

This month it is definitely sculpture: the mechanized sculptural art of Paul Stout, the literal sculptures of Adam Bateman, the sculptural paintings of John Bell, the UVSC show of contemporary sculpture, the exhibition of Brian Christensen at the CUAC.

All but Stout (who will be showing at the Rio this month), however, are outside of Salt Lake. No need to worry though. You won't have to dump in gallons of $3/gallon gasoline in your car to see sculpture.

The Salt Lake Art Center is currently holding an exhibition of Scott Fife, a Seattle-based sculputre who has created a group of sculptural portraits of historical figures from J. Anthony Lukas's 1997 book Big Trouble: A Murder in a Small Western Town Sets Off a Struggle for the Soul of America. The book chronicles the 1905 assasination of Idaho Governor Frank Steunenberg over labor relations. Fife's eighteen sculptures depict key figures in the tale of murder and politics. The exhibition will be combined with a series of ArtTalks concerning Labor in the Intermountain West.
Dave Adams
If you're really worried about those gas prices but haven't satiated your appetite for sculpture from the Fife exhibit, walk a couple of blocks south and catch the #5 Bus up to A Gallery in the Foothill area. Beginning with the September Gallery Stroll (the 16th) the gallery will be featuring a group show of their many talented sculptors. Get to A Gallery before their current show comes down and you'll catch a colorful exhibit of paintings by Dave Adams. Adams' abstract paintings are filled with passages of intricately textured patterns intersecting with, over taken by and giving way to larger geometric shapes of color that may or may not resolve themselves into objects.

One theme we should have for an edition of 15 Bytes is theme shows themselves. Rather than spotlight one or two artists, many galleries choose to concentrate their shows on a variety of their artists working on a certain "theme." The Magpie Gallery's "Water" themed show, which features twenty Utah artists and one subject, is still up for a week or two.

New this month at Horne Fine Art will be a show entitled "Skyscapes" which continues their "scape" theme of the past few months -- "Headscapes", "Nightscapes I", "Nightscapes II." Visitors to the exhibition will sample the sky’s many moods, including the extremes of weather, ranging from brooding thunderclouds over Taos (Phyllis F. Horne) to the stark clarity of blue over red rock (Doug Braithwaite) to the windswept peaks of Mapleton Mountain (Anne Weber). Karen Horne, Jennifer Worsley and Jerry Boorda reveal the changing face of sky as the day progresses. Horne Fine Art continues to add new artists to their roster and though most of their artists work in "representational" styles, this exhibit displays how varied and interesting that designation can be. Rob Colvin, who has attracted a growing following for his heavy brushed visions of the Wasatch Front and desert southwest, has recently been exploring a cubist framework for his paintings. John Berry has a similar interest in structure and his starkly geometric interpretations of clouds on display almost seem a minimalist form of landscape painting.

Another theme we have seen emerge in the past month in Salt Lake Galleries is the art of the streets. Unfortunately, by the time you read this you'll have already missed your chance to see the "Signs" exhibit hosted by the Utah Arts Alliance. This exhbit featured "the urban image as art, a photographic exhibit of the urban symbols we never a second look at" by local photographers Renee Lee, Gardner Underhill, Peter Firth, Kai Martens, Bruce Newman.

You can still catch a look at another type of urban image at Kayo Gallery's "Anatomy of an Urban Artform. Organized by Trent Call, the show features works from veterans of the graffiti scene to painters and writers still active today.

To throw our own curatorial hat into the ring, we have included our own example of art on the streets.

We don't know the title, the artist, the date of creation, or if it is even still visible. We do know the location, but we are keeping that a secret. Be the first to send us an email and tell us where it's at and we'll give you a "15 Byte: Do You Get It?" T-shirt.

This life-size stencil piece, featuring two skeletons embracing, is one of many stencil tags cropping up around the city. The quick execution of stencil art often leads to its use as political statement (if you're at the Sugarhouse Barnes and Noble look on the eastside sidewalk and you'll see what we're talking about).

We are running this image in recognition of the two exhibitions mentioned above. Take a look around you and take note. And maybe even a photo. Send it to us and we might run it.

But then again, should we be running these images? or do they just cause hooliganism? Is it art or vandalism? Let us know. Write us a letter to the editor on this or any other of our articles this month.