Events

Utopian Standard: Bjørn Erik Haugen
6/19/10 -

Bjørn Erik Haugen works mainly with photo, sound- and video installation, with a political emphasis. Utopian Standard is a black banner with white text: "We could and we might." The Font used on the banner is "Utopia Std."

  

The thought behind the work is to show modern societies internalises a potential fear and consern in its people. My opinion is that through creating fear and uncertainty one creates a people that is more easily for the politicians to govern. The intention using the font is to appropriate and use the title and show fear and violence through history has been utilizes as a tool for creating and realizing a Utopian society, an ideal state and a paradise on earth. ”The best of all possible worlds,” as Candide says in the book by Voltaire by the same name.


Foucault has in his writings analysed how institutions through power and knowledge, creates, and influences the structures of society and of people's minds. In his book "Discipline and Punish" one of his main points is that in modern societies one turns from corporal punishment for an internal change of the person which also gives the possibility to control the person from within himself.


Paper Moon: Art Party and Benefit Auction for Gallery Aferro
June 19th, 7 - 10 PM

Paper Moon, our second annual benefit art part and auction, was a success. Thank you to everyone involved!!!!!!

Pictures here!

Art Auction and Party! Signature drinks and great local catering! Music by DJ Amanda of Brick City Burlesque!
Interactive Photo Event with the opportunity to have your professional portrait taken with your choice of artist-created backdrops,
by: Peter Brauch, Rick Reiser, Raul Villarreal, and students from Newark's own Arts High School

Benefit to support Gallery Aferro's programing with raffle and auction of artworks by:

 

Gema Alava, Mauro Altamura, Kenseth Armstead, Les Ayre, Lathoriel Badenhausen, Lorna Barrowclough, Gregg Beckett, Katrina Bello, Gianluca Bianchino, Jeanne Brasile, Peter Brauch, Jo Ann Brody, Mona Brody, Laura Bruce, Irene Christensen, Taheera Cochran, Margarida Corriea, Patricia Dahlman, Denise de la Cerda*, Wyndi DeSouza,

Anne Dushanko Dobek, Alyssa Edmee Fanning, Lisa Elmaleh, Dahlia Elsayed, Susan E. Evans, Matt Gosser,

Norman Greenwell, Julie Hair, Victoria Hanks, Carla Hansen, Marion Held, Peter Herley, William Hudders, Stephen Hutchins, Rebecca Jampol, Hyo Jeong Nam, Darren Jones, Jayson Keeling, Anki King, Hiroshi Kumagai, Robert Lach, Barbara Landes,Valeri Larko, Norene Leddy, Ann LePore, Greg Leshe, Michelle Levante, Lara Loutrel, Nancy Mahl, Gayle Mahoney,

Loretta Olivia Maldonado, Karen Margolis, Teresa Marra, John Maters, Tim Maul, Margaret Murphy, Park McArthur,

Anne Q. McKeown, Dave Miller, Stephen Mishol, Traci Molloy, Michelle Mumoli, Judy Negron, Paula Neto, Mathew Nicolosi, Leah Oates, Sylvia Padilla, Joan Pamboukes, Kelly Ann Pinho, James Prez, Jae Quinlan, Anil CS Rao, Blithe Riley, Ryan Roa, Angela Rossi, Liz Sales, Jessica Santos, Irys Schenker, Sam Sebren, DC Smith, Laurinda Stockwell, Helen Stummer, Stan Sudol,

Charlee Swanson, Aileen Tat, Amanda Thackray, Calla Thompson, Rollo Tomasi, Kai  Vierstra, Raul Villarreal, James Vining, Joe Waks, Andrew Wilkinson, Robert E. Williams, Michelle Wilson, Andrew Wilkinson, Agnes Wszolkowski, Tony Zaza, Sue Zwick

 
and many other local, national and international artists 



 Sponsors:

             






                             




      





Unstrung
Gallery Aferro Independent Film Series 4/24, 6:30 PM
Screening and Panel
New Media Room

Gallery Aferro and the Cape May Film Society are very pleased to present the second event in the new, quarterly Gallery Aferro Independent Film Series.  As part of Smithsonian's Jazz Appreciation Month, Gallery Aferro will be screening Unstrung, a documentary about the life of legendary jazz guitarist Pat Martino, followed by a panel discussion with subject Pat Martino, director Ian Knox, and specials guests. Vintage images of Mr. Martino by Len DeLessio will be on exhibit.  Mr. DeLessio will be presenting Mr. Martino with a portfolio set of the images.

In 1980 Pat Martino moved his belongings from California to Philadelphia to live with two complete strangers: his parents. As a young jazz guitar virtuoso he had achieved near legendary status during the 60s and 70s, before being diagnosed with a life-threatening brain condition. Surgery had saved his life but wiped his memory. Back in his childhood home, surrounded by the relics of his former life, his father played him his old recordings at full volume and friends rallied to try to coax him back to being the great artist he had been. He could not dispute the evidence; the face in the mirror was the same as the one on the record sleeves but it meant nothing to him.

In the following months. Martino made a remarkable recovery. Through intensive study of his own historic recordings, and with the help of computer technology, Pat managed to reverse his memory loss and return to form on his instrument. His past recordings eventually became "an old friend, a spiritual experience which remained beautiful and honest."

Director Ian Knox and Neuropsycologist Paul Broks travel America in search of the soul of the legendary jazz guitar great Pat Martino. Tracing his remarkable return from the depths of amnesia to the peak of artistic achievement, Broks explores the nature of memory, self, creativity and the mysterious brain mechanisms underlying the construction of personal identity. What is the self? How much change can it survive? Today, Martino lives in Philadelphia again and continues to grow as a musician.

Visit the retro concession stand for popcorn, organic, fair-trade hot chocolate and other classics.

Hosted in conjunction with the Cape May Film Festival



We are proud to be part of the Smithsonian's Jazz Appreciation Month!

 






Gallery Aferro Independent Film Series
2/26 and 2/27

Gallery Aferro and the Cape May Film Society are very pleased to present the first two day event in the new Gallery Aferro Independent Film Series.

On February 26th and 27th, all are invited to the New Media Room for critically-acclaimed short and feature length independent films including "The Yes Men Fix the World." Several of the filmmakers and at least one subject will be present to take questions.

Visit the retro concession stand for popcorn, organic, fair-trade hot chocolate and other classics. Full lineup on films to be posted soon!

Feb 26: 7 PM  Strongman, Zachary Levy, Winner of “Best Feature Documentary” at the  2009 Slamdance Film Festival, Strongman has been described as “strangely beautiful,” by Variety’s John Anderson. The film follows the hopes and dreams of New Jersey’s own "Stanless Steel"--the only man alive who can bend pennies with his fingers--as he tries to gain control of a world that seems constantly beyond his grasp.

Feb 27:
3 PM This one-hour session features the work from the Cape May Film Festival’s Young Filmmakers  programs and other works from emerging filmmaking students including Have You Heard: The Trouble with Gossip, created by Woodbine Elementary School  based on an age-old problem, and Dream Day of the Dead, a zombie film.

4 PM:

Shoebox Redhead (Matthew Lawrence)
For a Few Marbles More (Jelmar Hufen)
Kid (Miguel Alvarez,)
One Soul (Arun Vaidyanathan)
Yanling’s Oranges (Connie Yen)
Girls, Robots and Digital Cameras (Richard Law)
Plane Face (Adam Brown)
Paper Dreams (Mike Marino)

The Yes Men Fix the World, (Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonanno)  A true story about two political activists (Bichlbaum and Bonanno) who pose as top executives of giant corporations. They lie their way into big business conferences, major network news telecasts, and other high profile events to pull off the world's most outrageous pranks. It opened to a packed house at Sundance, and was the winner at the 2009 Berlin International Film Festival.

Hosted in conjunction with the Cape May Film Festival

Next program in the series: April 23-24, 2010

Featuring the documentary “Unstrung” on the life of legendary jazz
guitarist Pat Martino (hosted as part of the Smithsonian Institute’s
“Jazz Appreciation Month”




Filthy Lucre Panel Discussion
Saturday November 7, 2009 4PM

What is art without money?

Please join us as we continue to address this question.
Gallery Aferro is hosting a panel discussion as part of Filthy Lucre curated by Nancy Mahl.
Artist Jeanette Louie will moderate. Admission is of course free.

Panelists:

Nancy Mahl - visual artist/curator
Emma Wilcox - cofounder, Gallery Aferro
Robert E. Williams - visual artist
Paul Wirhun - visual artist
Terence Hunt - visual artist
Henry Sanchez - visual artist
Mary Anne Caton - writer
Sally O'Driscoll - writer


Filthy Lucre
Curated by Nancy Mahl of Progressive Culture Works
Main Gallery

Filthy Lucre examines the transformative power of valuation upon art and the people who make it. The artists, performers, and writers participating in the project have investigated the definitions and functions of art as a commodity and queried the practice of artmaking from inside and outside the realm of monetary exchange. The work, from the purely theoretical to the frankly hilarious, is by artists representing a broad spectrum of age, background, education, and commercial success. Particular focus is brought to unsalable art and what becomes of it, the effects of commercial success on artmaking practice, the spiritual function of art, defining the consumer of art, the difference between precious and valuable, the economic element in definitions of high, outsider, and folk art; and the ever-fraught relationship of artist and patron.



In Memorium: Red Sea Fuscus Triggerfish and Yellow Tang

The deaths of two actors featured in Andrew Demirjian and Zachary Seldess's Nitrogen Cycles installation have been confirmed. While alive, the two saltwater tropical fish garnered acclaim from the public, as well as a mention in Time Out New York. Send remembrances to ewilcox@aferro.org


The City is Dreaming
(ongoing)