NEIGHBOR/ACCOMPLICE
November 21, 2009 - NEIGHBOR/ACCOMPLICE
Nov. 21, 2009
Twin Kittens presents “Neighbor/Accomplice”
an exhibition of new and interesting work by Jeff Guy
ATLANTA – Twin Kittens Studio will exhibit a solo show of native Georgian artist, Jeff Guy, Nov. 19-Nov. 22 at the gallery in the 1016 Lofts, near the corner of 10th & Howell Mill. This show will be in conjunction with the Westside Art Stroll on Nov. 21, 12-4 p.m.; a reception in the gallery will follow from 7-10 p.m that evening. Both the exhibition and the reception are free and open to the public.
“Neighbor/Accomplice” will feature a site-specific installation of Jeff’s 2009 work “Mother & Son” along with new paintings and sculptural objects.
“Mother & Son” appropriates the artist’s mother’s bowling ball into an object charged with allegorical meaning; the idea of the atom bomb, “Little Boy” and the B-29 bomber used to deploy the bomb, “Enola Gay”.
The exhibition explores the history of his mother’s family and the family’s connection to the creation of the atom bomb. Guy’s grandfather lived in Oak Ridge, Tennessee and worked with 75,000 other U.S. Citizens at the Clinton Engineering Works during the height of the Second World War. The workers were enriching Uranium that would produce atomic weapons. Conspiracy and secrecy were aspects of daily life and are major themes of this exhibition. The family narratives contained within the paintings and objects are an impetus for broader questions of ethics, morality and justice.
The works build connections with historical events such as the bomb drop on Hiroshima with the Trinity Test in New Mexico, atomic physicist, J. Robert Oppenheimer, with the artist’s grandfather, Apaschal Gus Swanson, the artist and his mother with Enola Gay and Little Boy. These connections attempt to find where personal responsibility is accepted or resigned. The artist asks, “At what point do we stop being neighbors and start becoming accomplices? Are we culturally responsible for things we are ignorant to? Is there a sin of silence? These are some of the questions I want people to ponder as they engage these new works.”
The cast concrete walls and floors of the gallery are the ideal environment for works such as these. “It felt bunker-like to me”, the artist shares. “It was an inspiring space well suited for thinking through some of these stories involving my family.”
For more information, e-mail bob@twinkittens.com or visit www.twinkittens.com.
Photo credit:
Bob Butler, “Mother & Son,” 2008. Courtesy Bob Butler.
Jeff Guy Biography
Jeff Guy (American, b. 1979) studied art in Athens and Rome before spending two years in Phoenix, Arizona. His work explores family narratives and examines the larger concepts of morality and judgment. While he employs different materials, symbols and scale in each work, he continually inspects his personal experience as the source for his creativity. Jeff, who lives in Johns Creek, keeps a studio practice out of his office in Atlanta, and received recognition for his work at the Arizona Biennale (2005).
Mother & Son by Jeff Guy. Hand Engraved Bowling Ball & Customized Bowling Bag. Dimensions Variable. 2009
Nov. 21, 2009
Twin Kittens presents “Neighbor/Accomplice”
an exhibition of new and interesting work by Jeff Guy
ATLANTA – Twin Kittens Studio will exhibit a solo show of native Georgian artist, Jeff Guy, Nov. 19-Nov. 22 at the gallery in the 1016 Lofts, near the corner of 10th & Howell Mill. This show will be in conjunction with the Westside Art Stroll on Nov. 21, 12-4 p.m.; a reception in the gallery will follow from 7-10 p.m that evening. Both the exhibition and the reception are free and open to the public.
“Neighbor/Accomplice” will feature a site-specific installation of Jeff’s 2009 work “Mother & Son” along with new paintings and sculptural objects.
“Mother & Son” appropriates the artist’s mother’s bowling ball into an object charged with allegorical meaning; the idea of the atom bomb, “Little Boy” and the B-29 bomber used to deploy the bomb, “Enola Gay”.
The exhibition explores the history of his mother’s family and the family’s connection to the creation of the atom bomb. Guy’s grandfather lived in Oak Ridge, Tennessee and worked with 75,000 other U.S. Citizens at the Clinton Engineering Works during the height of the Second World War. The workers were enriching Uranium that would produce atomic weapons. Conspiracy and secrecy were aspects of daily life and are major themes of this exhibition. The family narratives contained within the paintings and objects are an impetus for broader questions of ethics, morality and justice.
The works build connections with historical events such as the bomb drop on Hiroshima with the Trinity Test in New Mexico, atomic physicist, J. Robert Oppenheimer, with the artist’s grandfather, Apaschal Gus Swanson, the artist and his mother with Enola Gay and Little Boy. These connections attempt to find where personal responsibility is accepted or resigned. The artist asks, “At what point do we stop being neighbors and start becoming accomplices? Are we culturally responsible for things we are ignorant to? Is there a sin of silence? These are some of the questions I want people to ponder as they engage these new works.”
The cast concrete walls and floors of the gallery are the ideal environment for works such as these. “It felt bunker-like to me”, the artist shares. “It was an inspiring space well suited for thinking through some of these stories involving my family.”
For more information, e-mail bob@twinkittens.com or visit www.twinkittens.com.
Photo credit:
Bob Butler, “Mother & Son,” 2008. Courtesy Bob Butler.
Jeff Guy Biography
Jeff Guy (American, b. 1979) studied art in Athens and Rome before spending two years in Phoenix, Arizona. His work explores family narratives and examines the larger concepts of morality and judgment. While he employs different materials, symbols and scale in each work, he continually inspects his personal experience as the source for his creativity. Jeff, who lives in Johns Creek, keeps a studio practice out of his office in Atlanta, and received recognition for his work at the Arizona Biennale (2005).
Mother & Son by Jeff Guy. Hand Engraved Bowling Ball & Customized Bowling Bag. Dimensions Variable. 2009