Contemporary Art

At The Reading Room

Jessica Iannuzzi Garcia, 'Kookaburras sit in the old gum tree,' 2014
Jessica Iannuzzi Garcia, ‘Kookaburras sit in the old gum tree,’ 2014

never to be yourself and yet always — that is the problem
a project by (wo)manorial
February 8 — March 1

The Reading Room will host an exhibition presented by the collective (wo)manorial from February 8 through March 1, with an opening reception on Saturday, February 8 from 6 to 9 pm. The title never to be yourself and yet always — that is the problem is taken from Virginia Woolf’s The Modern Essay. The group exhibition addresses those endless doubts and beliefs, searches and frustrations, manipulations and attempts to be honest with art and with ourselves, questioning the freedom that gives pleasure but also uncertainty.

(wo)manorial, founded by Jessica Iannuzzi Garcia and Haley Kattner Allen, is an online platform that addresses issues of contemporary femininity. Since its inception, the collective has produced six exhibitions and featured the work of over 75 artists. Garcia and Allen are joined by guest curators Lilia Kudelia of The Dallas Contemporary and independent curator Daria Prydybailo as well as LauraLee Brott, Courtney Brown, Rebecca Carter, Gabriela Ochoa, Alison Starr, Tori Whitehead.

from their facebook page: “As a collective of artists, creatives, and thinkers who contemplate the ever-changing concept of the feminine, we identify with being human before any political group. As (wo)manorialists, of course we are feminist, but identify with that after our femininity. (wo)manorial provides a global space with which to create, communicate, and document an ever-shifting notion of femininity. Our work shares our experience.”

Contemporary Art

Saturday Afternoon with Friends

Rebecca Carter’s 'The Wrong Perspective,' graphite and wood; 'Dirty Rainbow,' silk thread and electrical plugs
Rebecca Carter’s ‘The Wrong Perspective,’ graphite and wood; ‘Dirty Rainbow,’ silk thread and electrical plugs

The Reading Room. Again I waited until the last day to see a show, Rebecca Carter’s Reading the Love Letter, but the timing couldn’t have been more perfect. While most folks were probably killing themselves with frantic Christmas shopping, I found a wonderful respite in Karen Weiner’s little space located far away from the holiday madness. It was a fun lazy afternoon reconnecting with old friends, chitchatting, listening to the haunting background music, and poking around in all the little spaces and hidden corners searching out Rebecca’s little surprises.