Allen Bentley, Tilt (2002), 48 inches by 60
inches, oil on canvas.
Minima and Future Minima Showroom
The ultra-contemporary Mixed Greens collective arrived in Philadelphia last week, with parties (many) and a purpose (singular): to introduce the city to its unique, artist-centered brand of art-dealing and representation. MG found a symbiotic partner for the project, “Modern Living,” in Minima, the epitome of Philly mod-life with its sleek, retro furniture and lighting. Until Oct. 6, in Minima’s future showroom, 12 MG artists have work on display. On Fri., Oct. 4, MG curators dole out some constructive criticism for local artists who register for a portfolio review. Twelve 20-minute slots are available from 3-5 p.m., so artists should either e-mail heather@mixedgreens.com to sign up, or go in person to Future Minima during show hours (bring 10-20 slides and a statement). But the spotlight’s on John Mahoney for the second half of the MG fest. He’s showing his crisp, Japanese-influenced enamel-on-metal work at Minima, where he’s giving a talk on Sat., Oct. 5 at 2 p.m. Later that night from 6-8 p.m., there’s a reception or, “an appreciation of great art, good drinks and smart talk.” And you can smart-talk yourself out of whatever you said the night before at the wrap-up brunch and exhibition tour on Sun., Oct. 6 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. (tour at 1 p.m.). Then Mixed Greens packs it in and takes it back to NYC, where they will surely pine for the fun they had in Philadelphia.
All events at future Minima Showroom, 47-49 N. Second St., with featured work by John Mahoney at Minima, 118 N. Third St., www.mixedgreens.com.
University City Arts League
David McShane, perhaps best known for working in the most public of artforms, the mural (Dirty Frank's at 13th and Pine, the lovely sunflower at the Horticultural Society at 13th and Arch), looks inward for a very personal and gender-proud show of works called "I Enjoy Being A Boy." Electric Football and other works are nostalgic, but also offer a fresh examination of their topic. The fuzzy quality of the painting evokes both the physical motion and the hazy, fading memory of such games -- in miniature, as in a toy, and life-sized, as on a field. On another level, the segmented canvases let McShane draw parallels or create divisions, depending on the relationship between the images. His black-and-white, old-time baseball player, bat clutched to his body, sits mutely next to a a (traditionally feminine) yellow and pink flower field. Other players-- football, baseball, hockey-- dart and duck and pose next to bold stripes or fresh daisies. McShane calls these works "a tribute to his boyishness," and they indeed find beauty in the fields of color and competition.
Only the most accomplished and professional of dancers lose that sense of crippling self-awareness when they step on to a dance floor. Most of us, once we remember that we're moving our limbs in unnatural ways and doing so in front of at least one other person -- What should I do with my head? Should I snap my fingers? -- lose our tempo and our cool. Allen Bentley likes catching dance at its most awkward and genuine. In his new show of paintings, "Lead and Follow," his young, waltzing couples are all tentative moves, risky dips and near-missteps, and the chunky, choppy treatment of the paint emphasizes this. Some figures, though, are more graceful and confident, with the brushstrokes reflecting more fluid, experienced movements. As a loose guide, he uses videos of dancing couples to capture tandem body-in-motion moves. Above-the-action perspective and bold color, combined with cute titles (Glide, Swing andTurn), often make Bentley's work look like an instructional book for dancing with offhanded style and humor.
John James Pron came back from Rome with some strange pictorial advice for its civic leaders; check out “Citta di Roma: Touch and Go,” at 3rd Street Gallery, to see for yourself. Reception Fri., Oct. 4, 5-9 p.m., through Oct. 27, 58 N. Second St., 215-625-0993.… Kewpie dolls pop up like creepy gifts from a secret admirer in Nancy Bea Miller’s still-life paintings at Artists’ House -- but she invited them in, we suppose. Reception Fri., Oct. 4, 5-8:30 p.m. and Sun., Oct. 6, 1-4 p.m., through Oct. 27, 57 N. Second St., 215-923-8440.
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