Dike Blair
Noah Sheldon
March 22 – May 3, 2008
Opening Reception: March 22, 6-8pm
D’Amelio Terras is pleased to present an exhibition of new work by Dike Blair and Noah Sheldon.
Dike Blair writes:
“The artist Molly Smith introduced me to Noah Sheldon about ten years ago. I liked him immediately and was taken by his inexhaustible, nearly obsessive curiosity about people and pretty much everything. I followed his early photography and sound installation work. Then a few years ago, his “Almost Vegetarian,” show at Southfirst, in Brooklyn really captivated me. In part that was because he was working with some ideas I’d previously explored; but Noah did it with more ease and subtlety. Then his “Pink and Tan” show at D’Amelio Terras in 2007 really wowed me. It also wowed Roberta Smith who described how Noah “is skilled at separating beauty from the material world while reminding us that it is just about everywhere.
As I write this, Noah is on a road trip to Canada, collecting the images that he will exhibit in about 8 days (Noah is often best when flying by the seat of his pants). I think Maggie Peng, a talented architect and his wife, will help him design some armature for the hundreds of images he’ll bring back. I can’t wait to see what he does with snow. And I hear there will be beer.
My prints of women’s eyes are digital scans of paintings I’ve done over the last few years. There are 18 individual images, repeated 9 times in the gallery. The models are my wife, friends and former students, many of whom are artists. These are portraits but the image of the eye is so metaphorically rich, that I hope they do more. For me, isolating and slightly enlarging the eye amplifies its eroticism. I think there are also aspects of a ping-pong gaze and an inside-and-outsideness (windows are another of my favorite subjects) in these works.
While Noah and I didn’t try to create a collaborative work, I’m looking forward to seeing how all the eyes look at my eyes and how they scan Noah’s prints. I think something interesting might happen between all the images. We’ll see.”
Dike Blair has exhibited internationally since 1974 and was included in 2004 Biennial Exhibition, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York. He is represented by Feature Inc., New York, NY.
Noah Sheldon was born in Fort Wayne, IN. He studied Percussion and New Music at New England Conservatory of Music, received his BA from Sarah Lawrence College, and graduated with an MFA from Columbia University in 2000. Noah has an upcoming solo show in May at Cherry and Martin Gallery in Los Angeles. He had a solo exhibition in 2007 at D’Amelio Terras in New York and in 2005 at Southfirst in Brooklyn. Sheldon was included in the 2007 exhibition, “Ensemble,” at the Institute of Contemporary Philadelphia curated by Christian Marclay. His work has been shown in New York at PS1 Contemporary Art Center, P.P.O.W. Gallery, and John Connelly Presents, among others. In 2006 he curated a show titled “Mystic River” at Southfirst, Brooklyn, NY, which traveled to Arcadia University Art Gallery, Glenside, PA.
