Providing colorful and cozy experiences against the gray and dreary backdrop of winter, a handful of Athens galleries are kicking off the new year with new exhibitions that open this January. Discover a wave of exciting new artwork below, and check Flagpole’s weekly Art Around Town listings for future exhibitions.
ATHICA: The exhibition “Plantronics” spotlights the creative collaborations of two artists, Wendy DesChene and Jeff Schmuki, who operate under the guise of Plantbot Genetics Inc., a parody of big agricultural firms who manipulate current food production and distribution systems. Through a variety of street-based, interactive artworks since 2008, the duo has encouraged critical thinking and political action on environmental issues. Promised to adapt and mutate to a broad range of climates, their “PlantBots” are next-generation, robot-plant hybrids that underscore the consequences of unethical and unregulated agricultural practices.
The exhibition will open on Jan. 11 and close Feb. 9. Check athica.org for upcoming details about an artist talk and drop-in community wheat paste mural.
ATHICA@CINE GALLERY: Using a technique coined as “cannibalism,” R.B. Pruett cuts up and repurposes “failed” paintings to create new figurative works that emerge from layers of fragmentation and collage. Alluding to the beauty of decay, vulnerability and socio-political issues, his visceral reconstructions resemble distorted, cartoonish figures excavated from the depths of layered surfaces that represent the passage of time.
Pruett’s exhibition is currently on view through Feb. 25, and a reception will be held Feb. 6 from 6–8 p.m.
ATHENAEUM: Brooklyn-based interdisciplinary artist Matt Keegan’s exhibition “Realia” takes inspiration from a set of 400 double-sided image-based flashcards his mother made to teach English to students. His sculptures, collage and paintings incorporate these images—originally cut from magazines, clothing catalogs and the like—into unclear narratives that prompt reflections on the associative nature of meaning.
An opening reception will be held Jan. 11 from 6–8 p.m., and “Realia” will remain on view through Mar. 22.
CLEMENTS GALLERY: Athens-born painter and muralist Broderick Flanigan presents “Family Val-hues,” a collection of paintings that depict the faces of family members. With an artistic practice rooted in activism, Flanigan’s deep commitment to community engagement has led to previously establishing Flanigan’s Portrait Studio in the Nelly B neighborhood’s Triangle Plaza, an initiative called HARPS (Helping Art Reach Public Spaces) and a variety of youth-led mural projects.
Named after Bob and Claire Clements, the Clements Gallery is located inside of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Athens. An opening reception will be held Jan. 17 from 5–7 p.m., and the exhibition can be visited through March.
CREATURE COMFORTS BREWING CO.: An exploration of paradox through imperial art, “Domicile Imperium” consists of nine prints and drawings by Athens artist Maximos Salzman. Drawing from imperial imagery found in historical empires such as the Byzantine, Roman and Japanese, as well as from fictional empires of pop culture, Salzman presents a fictional empire through which art, culture and identity have been shaped by a central belief in paradox. Salzman’s creative practice is informed by both history and belief, and both the aesthetics and philosophical concepts that inspire his work are partially rooted in his personal connection to the Byzantine Empire though the Orthodox Church.
“Domicile Imperium” is currently on view through Feb. 2. A closing reception and meet-and-greet with Salzman will be held Jan. 31 from 6-8 p.m.
GEORGIA MUSEUM OF ART: “The Awe of Ordinary Labors: 20th-Century Paintings from Ukraine” exemplifies socialist realism, a style of art promoted by the government of the Soviet Union. These scenes not only promoted Communist values by depicting working people’s virtues and struggles, but celebrated the history and the landscape of the country. Beneath the surface, some painters also took artistic freedom in communicating subtle subversive messages. Though initially dismissed as propaganda after the collapse of the Soviet Union, images such as these, created between 1930–1980, provide a vital glimpse into understanding the experiences of people living under Soviet rule.
The exhibition will be on view Jan. 18–June 1. Asen Kirin, Parker Curator of Russian Art, will offer a curator talk on Jan. 23 at 5:30 p.m.
LYNDON HOUSE ARTS CENTER: Carol John’s solo show “Twist” explores pattern, color and composition through bold paintings that vibrate with repetitive dots, lines and shapes. Her playful and hypnotizing body of work is the result of a disciplined studio practice spanning four decades.
“Distillations” shares drawings on paper and wall-bound constructions by Johntimothy Pizzuto and Patti Roberts-Pizzuto, life partners and recent retirees from South Dakota who have made a new home in Athens. Sharing a restrained palette and lightness of touch, the artists explore themes of memory and temporality through their mixed-media works.
An opening reception will be held Jan. 16 from 5:30–7:30 p.m., and both exhibitions will remain on view through Mar. 15. Studio visits will be offered with John on Feb. 22 and the Pizzutos on Mar. 1.
TAYLOR-GRADY HOUSE: Sculpted in reaction to witnessing widespread injustices against women, Watkinsville ceramicist Alice Woodruff’s powerful body of work, “Warrior Women,” pays tribute to real-life heroines from across history and cultures. Influenced by the #MeToo movement, these ceramic torsos represent a way of processing the intense, complex feelings of anger, empathy and solidarity she has experienced. Each sculpture is paired with a narrative to illustrate the stories of women who have overcome adversity.
An opening reception will be held Jan. 24 from 5–7 p.m., and the Taylor Grady House will host open viewing hours through Feb. 21 on Thursdays from 10 a.m.–7 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m.–3 p.m.
TINY ATH GALLERY: Over the last decade, the suspended steel wire portraits of Noah James Saunders have become epic in scale, mesmerizing viewers as they cast gently rotating shadows onto the walls behind them. Saunders’ first solo show in Athens in over eight years, “Ode to a Watering Hole,” presents his latest innovation: ephemeral copper wire “drawings” preserved between sheets of clear fused glass. Intrigued by how the mood of a bar can shift from hour to hour over the course of a night and throughout the week, each of these small-scale works are named after the day and time they imagine.
A reception for this pop-up exhibition will be held Jan. 16 from 6–9 p.m.
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