Jantzen, Lelah and Logsdon at Mclean Project for the Arts | Latest News and Thoughts from Ellyn Weiss

ELLYN WEISS

Home

GessoHead - Blog

Jantzen, Lelah and Logsdon at Mclean Project for the Arts

June 3, 2009

I’m sorry that it took me so long to motivate my ass over to the Mclean Project for the Arts because now you only have a couple of days left to see the current show: Franz Jantzen, Aliza Lelah and Roslyn Logsdon. And you definitely should go.

Jantzen, Coal Creek Library

the outside of the library

Jantzen produces large scale “digital assemblages”, visual/psychic maps that begin with a meticulous process of photographing every inch of the multiple surfaces of a subject such as “Coal Creek Library”, the one-room library in Vinland, Kansas, home of his wife’s family. He then digitally alters and reassembles the hundreds of images into a single print that is the product of thousands of aesthetic and technical decisions and yet is somehow complete and coherent despite the astonishing variety and perspective of the imagery.

detail of an eviction

Apparently unafraid of revealing his unique process, Jantzen has documented the step-by-step making of “Coal Creek Library”, which greatly enhanced my appreciation of the endeavor. Really, this shouldn’t be missed. My photo is a pretty pathetic facsimile.

ALiza Lelah's piece

another Lelah - I love this creepy speedo dude.

And a well-deserved nod to the curatorial judgment involved in this three-person show, which has joined three artists whose work shares a “take it apart, move it around, put it back together”, recycled kind of aesthetic. Aliza Lelah works with recycled fabrics and stitches them into evocative, expressive and often sardonic portraits and figures. I am amazed at how she gets such specifi human emotions on the pieced fabric faces.

Roslyn Logsdon makes elegant hooked rugs in subdued colors. They are lovely if perhaps a bit quiet to compete with the other work in the gallery this month.

< Prev		Next >