Art Center College of Design's Alyce de Roulet Williamson Gallery is organizing the exhibition Romance, an examination of the status and evolution of romantic relationships in contemporary society. The exhibition was conceived by guest-curator Irit Krygier, and will open to the public on November 20. It continues through February 5, 1995.
In this media age of advertising, television soap operas, same-sex couples and changing definitions of gender roles, what place does the traditional concept of romance occupy in our lives? The artists in this exhibition have addressed this subject in ways that are at times poignant, ironic, and humorous. Using romance as a looking-glass offers a unique perspective on the transformations affecting close person-to-person relationships, tapping into deeply embedded cultural notions.
Three years ago Ms. Krygier began organizing her thoughts about Romance, realizing through gallery and studio visits that this was a subject of continuing interest to a wide variety of artists. She began to examine how attitudes and fantasies about love relationships have changed, and how those changes are being reflected in contemporary art.
The thirty artists in Romance address many different stages of romance, from courtship, passion and marriage, to parting and loss. They use a variety of media: painting, photography, sculpture, CD ROM (Bill Barminski's Consumer Product [Harlequin Novel Section]), and installations (two by John Souza and Dani Tull that were created for this exhibition).
The work in Romance is often an analysis of media or other stereotypes, such as in Deborah Small's Our Bodice/Our Selves., which addresses the idealized love relationships in popular romance novels. Other artists in the exhibit display a seemingly straightforward documentation of romance, but on closer examination a touch of irony, wit, cynicism, or perhaps even yearning, is revealed. Some conjure up images of objects we associate with romance, such as candlelight dinners (Jill Giegerich's candelabra in Untitled (JG199115)) and Sabina Ott's red roses in Disappearance and Return: #17. Millie Wilson's Easel/Mirror offers an evocative text about the subject of desire, while Wendy Adest's Eros displays a violin bow, rose petals and thorns, conveying the beauty and pain that exist concurrently in love relationships. Commentary on the marriage ceremony is the content of David Humphrey's Wedding Table, which shows a bride and groom (the artist's parents) in deep thought, looking away from each other with images of themselves as young children inserted in the foreground, as if contemplating the seriousness of the moment. Other artists in Romance include Diane Buckler, Jo Ann Callis, Karen Carson, Laura Cooper, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Tim Hawkinson, Larry Johnson, JosephKosuth, Rachel Lachowicz, Marie Lafia, John Mandel, Rita McBride, Dan Mc Cleary, Robin Palanker, Lari Pittman, Nancy Reese, Ed Ruscha, Alexis Smith, Buzz Spector, Nick Taggart, and Carrie Mae Weems.
Irit Krygier, the exhibition guest curator, was born in Haifa, Israel, and has lived in Los Angeles since 1976. Her extensive curatorial experience includes positions as Assistant Curator of Contemporary Art at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, 1972 - 73; Assistant Director of Ace Gallery, Venice and West Hollywood, 1975 - 78; curator for the Robert Weiss Collection, 1978 - 79; Director of Margo Leavin Gallery, 1980 - 83; owner of Irit Krygier Contemporary Art, 1983 - 85; President of Krygier/Landau Contemporary Art, 1985 - 91; and Director of Richard Green Gallery, 1991 - 92. She is presently a fine art advisor to private clients, and an independent curator. She has served on exhibition committees for ART/LA 93, and AIDS Project/LA.
Romance opens on November 20 and will continue through February 5, 1995. An opening reception will take place on Saturday, November 19, from 6 to 9 pm. The public is invited. Williamson Gallery hours are Tuesday through Sunday, noon to 5 pm; Thursday, noon to 9 pm. The gallery is closed Mondays and holidays Parking and admission are free. For taped gallery information, call (818) 396-2244.