Art & Music | Art

From the earliest of times, rebellion has been one of man’s most powerful motives. And as a motive, rebellion has triggered changes in humanity that range in size and scope across cultural, political and religious delineations. Evidence of a rebellion can be as significant as a revolution and as profound as a spiritual epiphany. Art that is testimony to any type of rebellion, inspiring both intellectual and emotional changes, is central to cataloguing our world’s development over time.

Last month, ART (that matters) gallery (Oyster Bay) opened the Rebellion as Motive show in conjunction with Long Island Pulse Magazine. The show was juried and curated by Pulse’s own Nada, publisher and editor. Conceptually, the prospectus called for works that reflect humankind’s constant dance with rebellion vis-à-vis art—either celebrating it in pop culture or by cautioning against it, as images in media show leaders scourging their own people.

The Rebellion as Motive show was intended to be an exhibition of works that convey these wide-ranging attitudes for and against rebellion. Of the countless entries, around twenty were selected to be in the show. The collection displayed was a cross section of styles, media and message, from specific and literal, to abstract and metaphorical. Winners were selected based on relevance to the show, execution of work, originality and composition. The winners, shown here, were selected for surpassing these criteria as well as for outstanding viewer responses at the opening reception.

ART (that matters) is an artists’ collective mounting continuous exhibitions in addition to offering art instruction and informal gatherings. The works awarded in the show are distinguished as first, second and third place (as below). Future shows have yet to be determined, but will be announced via the gallery’s website (artthatmatters.com) as well as other local channels (like this magazine).

Winners:
1. “Paper Narcissus,” by Chuck von Schmidt, is a full-scale replica of a man “mooning” and inviting onlookers. Inside the derrière is a TV screen that shows a live feed of the person caught in the moment of voyeurism.

11. “By All Means: Exit Stage Right,” is a 30” x 36” oil on canvas by Damon Tommolino

111. A tie: “Vigil Keepers,” by Linda Louis and “Clash Within Cultures,” by Jeanine Klein, both mixed media