Mark Moore Fine Art Blog

Gallery artist Penelope Umbrico currently has work on view at the Photographer’s Gallery in London (UK). Titled “Sun/Screen” (2014), the new media project will remain on view through January 18, 2015. Says the gallery:

“Sun/Screen is a new project by award-winning New York based artist Penelope Umbrico, which continues her exploration of the ever increasing production and consumption of photographic images online. Umbrico used an iPhone to re-photograph images of the sun she cropped from thousands of sunset images shared on the web.  The process of capturing images directly from the computer screen creates a moiré pattern – an optical illusion, which is the consequence of the pixel grids, meshes or dot patterns being superimposed. As the images dissolve into one another, they draw attention to the materiality of the screen and further distances us from the natural sunlight source of the original images.” 

The project was recently reviewed by the New Yorker, which declared:

“In the group exhibition ‘Social Media,’ at the Pace/MacGill Gallery in 2011, one of the most arresting works on display was Penelope Umbrico’s project ‘Sunset Portraits from 9,623,557 Flickr Sunset Pictures on 8/22/11.’ Umbrico, a New York City-based photographer, had collected a thousand and fifty-eight Flickr photos of people posing in front of the sun, then mounted them in an abstract grid of black silhouettes against colorful backgrounds.

In a new solo exhibition, ‘Sun/Screen,’ at the Photographers’ Gallery, in London, Umbrico further explores her interest in sunset photographs and the ways in which they are shared on the Internet. She used an iPhone to re-photograph images of the sun she found online, and, in the exhibit, she displays them as a single slide show. The dissolve from one image into another enhances the moiré effect of the digital photos, creating what Umbrico calls ‘a virtual window onto a natural world made un-natural.'”

We congratulate Penelope on this wonderful development in her work, and encourage you to see this project – should you find yourself in London this winter. For more information about the artist, or available work, please email info@markmooregallery.com.

This Saturday, December 13th, 2014 (4-6pm), gallery artist Andrew Schoultz will open a solo show of installation and painting at Hosfelt Gallery (San Francisco). Titled “Blown the Bits,” the show debuts vibrant and ambitious new elements in his work that is sure to delight and amaze.

Says the gallery:

Andrew Schoultz’s first solo exhibition at Hosfelt Gallery transforms 7,000 square feet of gallery space with an installation of sculpture, paintings and works on paper that charts a new trajectory in his work.

In this new body of work, Schoultz combines familiar symbols with various conventions of formalism he’s taken from art history to express his dystopian vision. Borders of concentric lines frame these works, representing containment and control while also referring to the margins of Persian miniature paintings and illuminated manuscripts or to modern geometric abstraction. But the frenetic accumulation of lines that make up Schoultz’s narrative imagery explode outward, demolishing the order of the rectilinear composition and shattering the tradition of the picture plane. The title of the show, “Blown to Bits,” alludes to the paradox of positive change – that destruction must precede the creation of something better.

The exhibition will remain on view through January 24, 2015. For more information about the artist, or available works, please email info@markmooregallery.com.

Opening tonight (December 11, 2014) from 6-8pm at MCQ Fine Art (Las Vegas, NV) is a solo exhibition of new works by locally based, internationally-known artist David Ryan. This is David Ryan’s first solo exhibition in Las Vegas.

Ryan’s body of work typically produces slick and colorful wall constructions that challenge the way line, shape and shadow interact. With these never before seen works on paper, we will see the artist hand, that will continue to explore these concepts, but with a new technique and level of perception. In addition, several small sculptural stacks take the work off the wall and are the result of a more deconstructive exploration of his materials, allowing the artist to think in more 3-dimensional terms. The exhibition will remain on view through
January 30, 2015.

We congratulate David on this milestone, and urge you to visit this exhibition should you find yourself in the Las Vegas area. For information about available works or artist biography, please email info@markmooregallery.com.

Mark Moore Gallery is pleased to report a very successful second run with the Miami Project art fair thus far. Closing today (December 7, 2014) at 6pm, the fair has seen more than 25,000 guests (a 20% increase over last year’s attendance), and has been the subject of positive review by Art F City, T Magazine, Juxtapoz Magazine, ArtInfo, Introspective Magazine, WLRN Miami Herald News, and Hyperallergic.

Throughout the course of the fair, the gallery has sold works by Ben Weiner, Penelope Umbrico, Andrew Schoultz, Clayton Brothers, Christopher Russell, and Josh Azzarella, with several more confirmations pending. Should you be interested in visiting the fair on its final day, please download a complimentary pass by clicking HERE – Mark Moore Gallery may be found in Booth #203, at the front entrance of the fair. The fair is located approximately one block north of its 2013 location, at the intersection of NE 34th Street and NE 1st Ave (Midtown Blvd), near Art Miami and the Pinta Art Fair.

Inquiries about remaining works or event details may be sent to info@markmooregallery.com, or called into 714.783.8310. We look forward to seeing you!

The gallery is pleased to announce that artist Christopher Russell has had a work acquired by the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art (OR).

The only academic museum in Oregon accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, the University of Oregon’s Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art (JSMA) features engaging exhibitions, significant collections of historic and contemporary art, and exciting educational programs that support the university’s academic mission and the diverse interests of its off-campus communities.  The JSMA’s collections galleries present selections from its extensive holdings of Chinese, Japanese, Korean and American art.  Special exhibitions galleries display works from the collection and on loan, representing many cultures of the world, past and present. The JSMA continues a long tradition of bridging international cultures and offers a welcoming destination for discovery and education centered on artistic expression that deepens the appreciation and understanding of the human condition.

We congratulate Christopher on this wonderful milestone. The artist also has work on view with the gallery at Miami Project – Booth #203 – through December 7th. For information about the artist or available works, please email info@markmooregallery.com.

As debuted this week during Art Basel Miami Beach with the Aperture Foundation, Penelope Umbrico’s newest book, “Range,” was chosen by a-n online as one of the “Top 10 Photo Books of 2014.” Says the website:

Injecting a shot of energy into a selection of canonical photographers’ images of mountains – ‘the oldest subject and most immovable landmark’ – Penelope Umbrico rephotographs them using smartphone camera apps to disorienting effect. An explosion of colour and abstraction born of errors in grain, pixels and screen resolution all play their part to recaliberate our relationship with the analogue history of photography amidst the current digital onslaught. What we get is a fresh study of the authored versus the anonymous, the original and the copy, the fixed and transitory. This is collective pictorial memory skewed for the Internet age.

Photographs from this body of work are currently on view with Mark Moore Gallery at Miami Project through December 7th, in Booth #203. For additional information about the artist, or inquiries about available works, please email info@markmooregallery.com.

The gallery is proud to announce its selection by Best Design’s Guides as the #1 destination for Art & Culture in Los Angeles. Along with LA Louver, the Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and Subliminal Projects, the gallery was shortlisted as a site for “where, when and what to do on one of the hottest cities on the planet, Los Angeles, the City of Angeles.” Says BD’s writer:

Mark Moore Gallery always brings the exact perfect blend of serious and experimental culture, avant-garde visuals and back-patio bartending. An opening reception there is the sort of evening you think of when you grab your friends and get a little dressed up for an archetypal art-world gathering in perfect, well-heeled bohemian style.

Thanks to Best Design for the wonderful designation during our 30th Anniversary year. Grab your boho heels for our first opening of 2015 on Thursday, January 8th (7-9pm) when we open concurrent solo exhibitions by Ryan Wallace and Meghan Smythe. For information about upcoming exhibitions, or available works, please email info@markmooregallery.com.

In anticipation of tonight’s VIP Preview Opening (5:30-10:30pm) for Miami Project, which takes place December 2-7 in Midtown Miami, various publications have released their “Preview Picks” and highlights of the fair. Mark Moore Gallery was specifically mentioned in editorial coverage by both 1st Dibs’ Introspective Magazine (which featured booth works by Penelope Umbrico and David Klamen) and Artsy. Says critic Meredith Mendelsohn:

It’s always a pleasant surprise when a newcomer to the scene manages to carve out a niche for itself. Miami Project — which this year, its third, runs December 2 to 7 — is one such thriving young fair that seems to get better with every edition.

Mark Moore, also from L.A., is showing works by Penelope Umbrico, who has taken photos of Ansel Adams’ nature shots on her iPhone and then subjected them to the effects of numerous filters available through programs like Instagram. These photographic prints look like they might have been overexposed or left in a chemical bath for too long, but, in their outrageous color, they also bring to mind silkscreens.

Additionally, Miami Project was favorably reviewed by WLRN Public Radio and Television,  which declared, “If you can only choose one fair, make it Miami Project.” The gallery is honored to be included in this exhibition for a second time, and will be located in Booth #203 for the duration of the fair.

For inquiries pertaining to available work, featured artists, or passes to the fair, please email info@markmooregallery.com.

Because we are thankful for our dedicated and hard-working employees, the gallery will observe a holiday closure from November 27 – December 2, 2014. Our concurrent solo exhibitions by Kris Kuksi and Preston Daniels will remain on view to the public through December 20th.

The gallery will also be featured in the upcoming Miami Project art fair, a premier contemporary and modern art fair that takes place during Miami’s art fair week. Working with a focused selection of galleries from around the globe, Miami Project presents a diverse selection of work by today’s leading artists. Since its inception, the fair has continually been the subject of positive press, and historic attendance numbers. Voted “Best Art Fair” by the Miami New Times, Miami Project will feature a VIP Preview on Tuesday, December 2 (5:30-10pm, by special pass/ticket only), as well as public hours December 3-7, 2014. For specific details about hours and venue commodities, please visit the Visitor Information site.

The gallery will bring a selection of new work by program artists, with an emphasis on those with upcoming exhibitions in 2015. New works by the Clayton Brothers, David Klamen, David Maisel, Julie Oppermann, Kim Rugg, Christopher Russell, Andrew Schoultz, Allison Schulnik, Penelope Umbrico, Ryan Wallace, and Ben Weiner will be included in the booth. A preview of specific works may be obtained by contacting the gallery directly.

For detailed information about featured artists, special fair programming, or day passes, please email info@markmooregallery.com

Online arts publication Daily Serving recently reviewed “Landscape City,” a group exhibition currently on view at the Center for the Arts Eagle Rock (CA) that was curated by Mark Moore Gallery Manager, Jonah Olson. Included in the exhibition is gallery artist Allison Schulnik‘s most recent video, “Eager” (2014) – which was favorably mentioned in the publication’s glowing review of the show. Says critic Lenae Day:

Allison Schulnik’s EAGER is a jumble of grotesque and beautiful scenes that begins with a dance of skeletal female figures who communicate with their long, stringy hair, since their faces are absent. They come in contact with a gauzy, blue-stained witch and a comically sad clown–horse with an erect, red, swinging dick. Then one woman unzips the others’ stomachs to wear them like backpacks through a wild and carnivorous forest of flowers and trees reminiscent of the garden of live flowers from Alice in Wonderland. The influence of choreographer Pina Bausch is apparent, but so too the terrifying early psychedelic cartoons of the 1930s. What this lavish animation encompasses makes words feel ineffective, but any attempt would have to include life, death, rebirth, sex, competition, nature, self-expression, female empowerment, and reproductive power—thanks to all of the rotting, deformed, and beautifully hand-sculpted figures. Schulnik even places herself in the work in a photographic stop-motion sequence, wearing a costume that resembles the blue clay witch. 

We congratulate both Allison and Jonah on this exhibition – which remains on view through December 11, 2014. For more information about Schulnik’s available works, please email info@markmooregallery.com. For more information about the exhibition, please email jonah@markmooregallery.com.