Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Abbey Meaker and Amanda Zackem at Furchgott Sourdiffe in Shelburne

Shadowy figures and fragmented landscapes abound in Chapters, an exhibition featuring the photographs of Abbey Meaker and Amanda Zackem, which opens August 17 at the Furchgott Sourdiffe Gallery in Shelburne. A public reception with the artists will be held from 6-8 p.m. on that evening.

The exhibition is part of a guest curator program that gallery owner Joan Furchgott began earlier this summer. “As in every longtime venture, sometimes you have moments of thinking 'what next?'," Furchgott says. "When the idea occurred to me last year of having guest curators, I immediately became energized at the possibility. It is incredibly stimulating to have worked with three individuals with strong visions who have created such diverse and dynamic exhibits, showcasing artists that are new to our gallery. Consequently, it has  brought many first-time  visitors to the gallery." Of Chapters, in particular, Furchgott says, “I am particularly grateful to be working with Amy Rahn on this current exhibit, because she has such a sophisticated but accessible viewpoint and is an extremely talented critic.”

The curatorial premise for the show comes from what curator Amy Rahn calls the works’ shared “suggestion” of narrative, and their beguiling refusal to assemble into coherent plotlines that could be “read.” “[The works] retain the intensity of a plotline without succumbing to its linear progression,” Rahn says, “They exist in a liminal space between storytelling and secret-keeping.”

Abbey Meaker is a Burlington-based artist who debuted her works in Pietrasanta, Italy last year.

Amanda Zackem is a Syracuse, New York based photographer and filmmaker who recently completed her Master’s degree in Illustration Photography and Multimedia from The Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University. Zackem’s photographic work has been shown in both national and international magazines. Her most recent work was shown in Clam Magazine, Pas Un Autre and on Elle.com. Her work has also been displayed at Littlefield Art Space in Brooklyn, NY, where she designed a guitar as part of the Kaki King Guitar Art Project.

The exhibition will be on view August 17 through September 18, 2012. Furchgott-Sourdiffe Gallery is open 9: 30 to 5:30 Tuesday through Friday, and 10:00 to 5:00 on Saturday. For more information or additional images, contact  Joan Furchgott by email at Joan@fsgallery.com or by phone at 802-985-3848.

Images: Top: Amanda Zackem, Title: Untitled No. 38, 16" x 20", Silver Gelatin Print; Abbey Meaker, 
Untitled, Edition 1/10, 2012, 11" x 11", Pigment Print from a Film Negative from the series The consequence of individualism