Written by Nicole Gaudier
A statement from the artist:
“I have an abiding fascination with photography, its role in the evolution of painting and its effect on our perception of the world
Tony Rodrigues, Playground Virility, 2013, from the film still You Can Count Every Rib, Acrylic and polycrylic varnish on canvas
around us. So, it was an easy decision to contribute to Our Shared Past. Jefree Shalev’s 8mm home movie stills exhibit life in frozen moments that transcend generations. The films are made with affection and lack of pretense. They are documentation of a collective sense of time, life and a desire to remember connections and events that bond friends and families.
My selection of stills was almost immediate. I related to the slightly built 9 year-old boy who is, at that moment, comfortable in his awkwardness. Transparent and unguarded with the camera and the person behind it, he is an archetype for pre-pubescent male uncertainty and playfulness. Also, I instantly recognized Jefree and his sardonic wit, already blooming at that tender age. Our friendship is based in our mutual love of irony as well as art.
Our Shared Past invites examination of contemporary developments in photography and video in the digital age. We have become exposed to more imagery of everyday life and adept at reading and communicating in visual language. While not always aesthetically perfect in execution, everyman snapshots and home movies are real and unvarnished glimpses into life and the human condition.”
Tony Rodrigues‘s work Playground Virility will be in the Our Shared Past exhibition, on view in the Stein Gallery from December 17, 2013 to May 25, 2014.
There will be artist appearances at the Stein Gallery January through April. Each Saturday, artists from the exhibition will be in the Gallery from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Others will make appearances throughout the day on Weaver Free Saturdays, and on Tuesday evenings during the exhibition.
