September 26 – October 31, 2009

Opening reception: Friday, October 9

Artist Talk: with Colby Bird begins at 7PM

Lora Reynolds Gallery is pleased to present Contemporary Culture, a group exhibition that reflects upon the artist’s role to visually convey events affecting today’s society. Works in this exhibition examine a range of influential topics from the Civil Rights Movement to the current state of the economy, yet does not neglect lighter subjects such as pop music.

Debuting in this exhibition are four powerful and unique collaborative works by the artistic team, Bradley McCallum and Jacqueline Tarry. These pieces from their series “Now, Tomorrow, and Forever” graphically address moments throughout the Civil Rights Movement. The works are comprised of two layers - elements of the image are represented in a painting that is veiled by a sheer layer of silk. Printed on the silk with toner is a slightly larger version of the painted image. Because the painted and printed images vary slightly in size, there is a doubling affect that evokes a sense of memory and movement. Tarry has said of the work, "The photographic layer forms a factual layer, and the painting forms an interpretative layer." As the title of this series implies, the matter of race and marginalized members of society is one that continues to permeate today’s news.

Mads Lynnerup’s new series of drawings entitled, “Time is Money, Money is Time,” illustrate the words “time” and “money” as seen in common advertising slogans. By transposing these words he provokes thought about how over-emphasizing the worth of material goods and money can cause one to lose sight of what is truly valuable.  In a series of small acrylics on panel, Jim Torok similarly asks the viewer to internally examine what is important in today’s fast paced lifestyle. These pieces offer encouraging phrases such as “Relax”, “Stay Calm” or “You Should Be More Happy”. His use of bright colors and painterly brush strokes further enforce the message.

Graham Dolphin's work considers mass culture's preoccupation with icons from the worlds of music and fashion.  For the piece “56 Lennon songs” Dolphin has hand-written in miniscule type the lyrics of said songs on to the edition of the Daily Post that proclaimed John Lennon’s death. Through his precise rendering of lyrics the artist showcases society's obsession with the musician.

Artists included in the exhibition are: Conrad Bakker, Colby Bird, Graham Dolphin, Mads Lynnerup, Bradley McCallum and Jacqueline Tarry, Richard Patterson, Peter Sarkisian, Jim Torok, and Kehinde Wiley.

Contemporary Culture will be on view at Lora Reynolds Gallery, 360 Nueces, Suite 50, Austin, Texas 78701 through October 31, 2009. GALLERY HOURS: Tuesday through Saturday, 11:00 am to 6:00 pm. For further information please contact Emma Cole at 512 215 4965 or emma@lorareynolds.com.