While helping Nic Coviello take his show down at Nexus we heard strange sounds emanating from the Ice Box down the hall. We had to see what was going on and walked through the show that opens tonight from 4-6 pm. It is billed as sculpture but there are a number of videos and there are photographs and passages of painting here and there.
The exhibition as a whole is greater than its parts. We all know that the Ice Box is the best space in town next to the ICA for contemporary art, so it has an advantage right away over the tiny gallery spaces so common in Philadelphia.
The anchor for the exhibition is a huge piece in the far left corner that goes from ceiling to floor. It seems like a tower with a bright sky made of flat, blue colored paper. I can't remember every artist's name but do remember that it was a collaborative piece by three artists.
There was an ice cream truck that I just saw at the Fleisher Challenge with slight variations. Piles of gravel (how many times can artists do this?), a larger than life figure, and a nice traditional abstract sculpture as you first walk in the door made by a recent grad. In fact, I would say that a large number of the 29 artists picked from the 100 considered for the show, graduated since 2000.
Sorry I don't have the artist's names, but when I got home and looked for information online the only name I uncovered was that of the curator Sarina Basta, curator of the Sculpture Center, Long Island City, NY. I did recognize a few artists but since I can't name everyone I would rather not mention any.
If you are in the neighborhood stop and take a look.
