The Geography of War
Harold Mendez

OPENING FRIDAY June 17, 2005 from 6-10pm
June 17- July 9

The Geography of War project by Harold Mendez investigates our perceptions on the nature of war and the alteration of geographical and transitional spaces through play and imagination. This project examines how the normalization of violence develops in children. Three separate, but related installations, aim to engage the viewer in a process where they contemplate how children imagine and create spaces. As a child controls his or her environment through imaginary or make-believe manipulation, Harold seeks to exert similar control over the installation space and invites the viewer to participate in that manipulation. In many instances children re-create the world through the eyes of adults. For children war is nothing more than an imaginary factor; it creates the impetus for exploring issues of power, morality, spatial analysis, and the construction of gender roles and the
development of individual perspectives.

Harold Mendez is a multi-disciplinary artist whose work challenges the male role and its identity in contemporary society. His recent projects explore street vernacular, the geography of violence, and the use of language and illusions within the concept of the body as a contested and divided field. His work is informed by his personal history, identity politics, and people's behavioral patterns in society. As a former graffiti artist, he combined traditional and alternative approaches to his work while critiquing the landscape as a stage of dissonance. He is currently seeking avenues for experimental collaboration with established and emerging artists in their development as cultural leaders.


plan for a better future
mixed media installation, ink, custom vinyl
2005 Harold Mendez

landscape
mixed media installation, cloth, talcum powder
2005 Harold Mendez
toys for us
mixed media installation
2005 Harold Mendez


12" x 12" mini-installation projects
this month's artist: Stacy Hand

       

soft tissue stimulator III (sweet principle of fats)
installation
Stacy Hand, 2005

Stacy continues her exploration of how consumable products define an ever-changing vocabulary of sensory experience that collapses the distinction between inner and outer space. In Soft Tissue Stimulator III, subterranean desires for intestinal health find unexpected counterparts in industrial lubricants.Stacy is both an artist and a career art historian. Originally from Orlando, she completed her BA at Vanderbilt University with a dual major in studio art and aesthetic philosophy. She subsequently completed a MA at the University of Chicago where she is currently working on a Ph.D. in Art History. For 2003-2004 Stacy was awarded a Fulbright to Germany to complete research on her dissertation, Empathy and Biological Fantasy in Art Nouveau Design. In addition, she teaches as part-time faculty at both Columbia College and at Northwestern University's School of Continuing Studies. In Chicago, Stacy has exhibited through Artemisia Gallery, which unfortunately closed in May 2003. Her most recent solo show was at Bad Dog Gallery (DeKalb, IL) in April 2005. See more of her work here: www.stacyhand.com
also a mini-exhibit: Kristen Neveu

pearl
mixed media, 8" x 6"
2005
$200

pattern of ago
mixed media,
25 " x 23 "
2005
$500
out of nowhere
mixed media,
21 " x 20 "
2005
$400
surfacing
mixed media, 48 " x 48"
2005
$800
This series examines the passing of time through everyday routines and the role that photography plays in capturing the fleeting moments that we take for granted. While growing up in Iowa, Kristen worked in a lumberyard to earn extra money. A classically trained pianist, she also participated in piano competitions. She graduated from the University of Iowa with a degree in Communication Studies and a minor in Anthropology. See more of her work here: www.kristenneveu.com
opening night june 17, 2005 @ polvo