Two exhibitions: Brian Novatny, "picture fishing" and Sto, "My Slow Called Life" opening December 8

Mulherin + Pollard Projects is pleased to present two concurrent solo exhibitions for the month of December: STO, My Slow Called Life and Brian Novatny, picture fishing

Both exhibitions will run from December 1-31st. Please join us for a reception after we return from Miami on Thursday, December 8, from 6-9pm.

In My Slow Called Life, STO presents a tranquil, one room NY studio apartment scene as the backdrop for a variety of papier mache sculptures. Devoid of any people, we are left to ponder the objects on their own as we walk through the space. Leftover pizza on the table, old food in the fridge, a stack of books, some dirty socks, and a slop sink with paintbrushes as well as toothbrushes are just a few of the mundane objects recreated in chunky, lovable papier mache. There is a natural sense of whimsy in the limitations of the mache as a medium and it boldly reveals itself with rough textures and gobs of paint applied liberally. There is also a sense of comedy beneath the surface, as if the objects were laughing at their own meaninglessness and at us for needing them. These deadpan takes on quotidian objects question our common understanding of what is real and reveal the many ways that we are entangled with our possessions. By shining a spotlight on the everyday, these works evoke our own daily lives and slow us down long enough to take stock in what they really consist of.

Brian Novatny beautifully employs a sophisticated technique of light touch and seeming tentativeness to his engaging pictures. The vulnerable quality of the artists’ mark echoes the confused, preoccupied, or uncertain sense of the figures. In the same way that the people are disconnected from one another in their environs, they are frequently similarly disjointed themselves, as their bodies and heads may be alternately painted or drawn in contast to one another, or the scale of two people in the same space disproportionate. Yet, amid all this uncertainty, Novatny’s broken stories manage to engage and delight. Novatny’s drawings are colorful, intimate works that are disconcerting and oddly charming.

Heather Goodchild and Mike Bayne- through November 26th

Mike Bayne, Kingston Spring and Muffler

"In high school I saw a movie by Gus van Sant where Joaquin Phoenix and Nicole Kidman conspire to kill Matt Dillon’s character. It was set in a small North Eastern, North American town. It took place largely in winter. It must have resonated with me because I remember it vividly. I can see the overcast skies casting cool light over moss greens, rust reds and any number of shades of brown and grey. I remember back alleys, trees without leaves, dead grass, snow, dilapidated white-sided buildings and small, unused, wooden churches. It wasn’t really the plot of the movie that was interesting – I think Casey Affleck and Phoenix are arrested for murder and David Cronenberg makes a guest appearance as a hitman and promptly kill’s Kidman’s character – it was the setting that I was really attracted to. And what was interesting was that the movie was shot, in part, in the small town where I lived at the time. So, it wasn’t that I could just relate to the feel of the setting. I actually, literally, knew that place intimately. And maybe it transformed the way I thought about and how I looked at where I lived. It was still the place where we went about the banality of our daily routine – where we trudged through the snow to school, didn’t wake up on time, dressed badly, bickered, weren’t as good looking as movie stars, had poor posture, anxiety and shortcomings, and generally exemplified all the frailties that encompass the human condition - but it also became rich with possibility."
-Mike Bayne, October 2011

Heather Goodchild, Walking the Pattern

Heather Goodchild's practice involves exploring the rituals, regalia and symbols of world religions, Girl Guides and Freemasonry in an attempt to understand the purpose of these traditions. Using traditional textile techniques such as rug-hooking, inlaid patchwork and quilting, she has developed new ways to execute old crafts, creating pieces that seem to exist both in the past and present.

Recently Goodchild has used the scaffold of a fictitious ladies organization (The Wardens) begun in the late nineteenth century with roots in sixteenth century Germany to express her ideas. By creating this society, including its rituals, mythology, moral code and material paraphernalia, Goodchild is able to examine the necessity of such rites in a twenty-first century culture that often lacks the trappings of traditional religion.

Walking the Pattern

As you lead, learn to follow

As you follow, learn to lead

Be gracious, patient and diligent

And all will benefit