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Joyce Zipperer and Rania Hassan at Neptune

October 23, 2009

Elyse Harrison, gallerymeister

Nevin Kelly at the Neptune opening!

Elyse Harrison and her architect husband have reclaimed the landmark wedge-shaped dust-encrusted Electrolux vacuum cleaner shop in Bethesda, source of several generations of “how does that place stay in business?” and “is there really anybody in there?” musings. They have utterly transformed the building, adding a couple of floors and a boatload of windows and, voila, a mint-green modern Miami oasis in downtown Bethesda.

what a crowd

Elyse has always shown local/regional work, God love her, and I am generally a fan of her taste in artists. Full disclosure, the opening last Friday night featured two friends, Joyce Zipperer and Rania Hassan. Having said that, the place was totally packed, so good on you, Elise, you obviously have lots of other fans. The combination of the two artists makes for a provocative dialogue on female roles and role-playing.

Joyce and my favorite shoe

Joyce works in metal and metal meshes, fashioning the types of women’s attire that have been fetishized by men eternally and that women have endured in pain or at least discomfort forever. She started with undergarments (I fondly remember the 17”-wasted metal corset) and then shoes, which make up the current show. Gorgeous, sexy, elaborate and very very painful.

Rania's big piece

Rania Hassan spans the worlds of fine art and craft; a couple of weeks ago she was one of the featured artists in Crafty Bastards, the fabulously successful DC-based show of independent Etsy-era crafters and this week she shows at Neptune. Her pieces combine knitting and painting, suggesting a zone of calm domestic reflection in the vortex of urban life.

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