Newest Features
By BIG RED Print this article February 2nd, 2007 Candid snaps from a Big RED night on-the-town at Front Gallery in Oakland for the opening of Half Asian, an exhibition by Big RED regular contributors Ben Sloat and Steve Aishman. Photos by Steve Aishman and Heidi Marston.
By JAMES NADEAU Print this article The term fourth wall is from both theater and film that refers to the barrier between the audience and the action that they are viewing. It is most famously known through the act of breaking it down or breaking through it (think Brecht or any number of self referential television programs). It is a device to encourage the audience to think deeper about what they are seeing. But just what does it mean in the context of a video installation in a gallery? The nature of…
By TODD MARSTON, KAI MCMURTRY, PATRICK SHORT & HEIDI MARSTON Print this article Editor’s Note: There’s something about the work of Craig Drennen that makes people want to respond. His artwork taps into a wide range of aesthetic and emotional responses, not to mention humor and pop culture. Normally on Big RED & Shiny we feature written reviews of exhibitions, but the response to Drennen’s “Pictures From The Phantom Zone” has inspired some more creative submissions. First, we feature a composition by musicians Todd Marston and Kai McMurtry that was created as…
By CHRISTIAN HOLLAND Print this article In today’s terms, the superhero is a component of the contemporary mythological psyche. They are a representative from the everyday world, touched with ultra-human capacities, (however flawed) and act as a social servant to redeem everyday chaos. Usually, our favorite supersheroes are those that may share our personal vulnerabilities but possess the very superpowers to which we aspire in our fantasies. The superheroes of cartoons, comics, and animations offer just enough information to tell a story or illustrate a character’s identity, revealing their purpose – their…
By SUSAN SAKASH & PIXNIT Print this article LET’S CALL A SPADE A SPADE by SUSAN SAKASH THEATER OF THE ABSURD by PIXNIT In April of 2006, five teen-aged girls were arrested in Ravenna, Ohio for placing 17 replicas of Super Mario Brothers question mark power-up cubes throughout the town on April Fools Day. The cubes, composed of cardboard and gold wrapping paper, were placed in conspicuous areas throughout the town of 12,000 people and instilled enough fear within residents that the bomb squad was called. On Wednesday, January 31, 2007, the…
By MATTHEW NASH Print this article The Berwick Research Institute is in a time of transition. Director Meg Rotzel has stepped down from her leadership role, and although she is still working on several projects at The Berwick, much of the programming is under new direction. Most notably, their flagship Artist In Research (AIR) residency is now under the guidance of Bonnie Bastien and Rosie Branson Gill. Recently, we sat down for coffee to discuss the AIR program’s past and future, and their plans for this important resource. MN: So, you are…
By CHARLES GIULIANO Print this article Boston is renowned for its many educational institutions and a significant number of these colleges and universities offer degree programs in the fine arts. There are also a number of institutions dedicated to studio art including the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Massachusetts College of Art, New England School of Art & Design at Suffolk University, the Art Institute of Boston, The School of Fine Arts at Boston University and the New England School of Photography. As well as strong studio programs at a…
By BEN SLOAT Print this article Having been born and raised in New York’s Lower East Side, it is not without a certain affection that I came across the collaborative multimedia installation show, American Beach, at the SMFA. On view in the BAG Gallery until February 2nd, the exhibit brings together 15 artists, including Trevor Powers, Phil Fryer, and George Rosa, who, over two days, collaborated to turn a rather plebeian space into a messy visual wonderland. Such creative impulses toward the everyday urban terrain is reminiscent of the way skateboarders turn…