Faculty member Dara Engler (Department of Art) will give an artist talk at the Handwerker Gallery on Thursday, September 8, at 6 p.m.. Engler will show slides and discuss the progression of paintings made in her studio leading to the creation of the new body work currently on display at the Handwerker Gallery in A Pirate's Guide to Heat and Meat, on view through Wednesday, October 12, 2016.
A PIRATE’S GUIDE TO HEAT AND MEAT: DARA ENGLER
August 31-October 12, 2016
Handwerker Gallery
Exhibition synopsis:
Recent paintings by Dara Engler chronicle the flaws and foibles of an anti-heroic alter ego as she faces the duress of awkward environmental circumstances. The surfaces of these works, built slowly and intuitively and from self-observation, reflect and exaggerate both the artist's personal appearance and experiences, fashioned through thick application of paint and carefully detailed renderings. Engler’s character, 'The Pirate', has evolved into an intrepid explorer through extended character study begun in 2008, now discovering new creatures in new lands. Paintings depict her learning to tie nets, spear fish, build wattle and daub shelter, and skin squirrels. As with any allegory, the differences between the artist and her subject are not accidental-- as Engler states, “By painting this character, I prevent myself from becoming her.” The Pirate, unlike Engler, executes tasks with unapologetic haste and inefficiency--Engler’s painting, How to Skin a Squirrel, might be more aptly titled, How NOT to Skin a Squirrel. In How to Wattle and Daub, The Pirate clutches an axe while crouching in a poorly-constructed shelter in which she barely fits. Barefooted and newspaper-hatted, The Pirate enthusiastically intervenes upon and alters her environment, though with fumbling hands. Engler’s exhibition, A Pirate’s Guide to Heat and Meat, provides the museological context for the shelter, tools, and narrative displays of The Pirate’s solitary struggle and frontier survival, with paintings teetering between real and imagined worlds.
*****
All exhibitions and events at the Handwerker Gallery are free and open to the public. The Handwerker Gallery is open Monday, Wednesday, & Friday from 10am-6pm; Thursdays from 10am-9pm; and Saturday & Sunday from 12pm-5pm. Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations should contact Mara Baldwin at mbaldwin@ithaca.edu or (607) 274-3548. We ask that requests for accommodations be made as soon as possible.
*****
Image: Dara Engler, How to Skin a Squirrel
https://www.ithaca.edu/intercom/article.php/20160906165230879