Happy New Year! 1.31-2.1

1.31

Spaces, 2220 Superior Viaduct, Cleveland 216.621.2314 www.spacesgallery.org  “Lauren Herzak-Bauman:  Field and Migiwa Orimo:  Visit/Revisit.”  Opening 6 pm.  Lauren Herzak-Bauman’s Field (Image ABove) includes thousands of similar porcelain pieces.  Her use of the material’s characteristics examines the media and medium themselves, while her repetition of form raises questions of individuality, modern-day consumerism and the production of contemporary ceramics.  Field is also an introspective, personal examination of the artist’s own relationship with life and death.  These works are placed directly on the gallery floor – not on a pedestal, stage or platform.  This puts the work directly in your space, dissipating the subconscious line between viewer and object.  The work’s neutral, raw finish creates a timeless style that focuses the viewer’s attention on the individual and collective forms and each piece’s unique characteristics.  Field is a meditative experience that forces you to look closer at your environment. Migiwa Orimo’s Visit/Revisit is more of a reflection on the artist’s recent experiences in local homes.  During a recent residency as one of SPACES World Artists Program (SWAP) artists, Orimo completely embedded and immersed herself in the homes and lives of Cleveland families.  Her work explores how our objects, environment and possessions reflect our memories. At SPACES, Orimo’s Visit/Revisit is an installation incorporating relics from her experiences.  The work is successful in collapsing the boundaries between public and private spaces, as well as the parts of ourselves which we share openly and keep intimately private.   The psychological questions raised by this work create a fertile environment for an active, transcendental viewing experience.

2.1

Cleveland Museum of Art, 11150 East Blvd, Cleveland, 216.421.7350, www.clevelandart.org  “lecture by Hank Willis Thomas:  Artist in Person.”  2pm. One of the most provocative and thoughtful artists of our time, Hank Willis Thomas sees his work in photography, video, and installation as an opportunity to address issues of race and identity as approached in advertising and popular culture. The artist first spoke in Cleveland in 2012 and returns to discuss his latest work and collaborative projects on the occasion of his solo show Hank Willis Thomas, on view through March 9 in the museum’s photography gallery and through March 8 at Transformer Station.

Tickets $15. Thanks in part to support from Nesnadny + Schwartz, admission is free for CMA members and students (with ID at ticket center). Additional support provided by University Circle United Methodist Church. Reservations required.