HICKEY – Curated by Fred Blauth and Eric Anthony Berdis

HICKEY – Curated by Fred Blauth and Eric Anthony Berdis
June 1, 2018 cemkocy

We are excited to hear one of the artists in our Self-Publishing Program, Stephen Grebinski is going to be in a show in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Here is more information about the show.

You can take a look at Stephen Grebinski’s books on his website at stephengrebinski.bigcartel.com

HICKEY
Max Adrian, Kyle Vu-Dunn, Stephen Grebinski,
Paul Peng, Curtis Welteroth, Justin Woody
Curated by Fred Blauth and Eric Anthony Berdis

Opening Reception: Saturday, June 2, 6-9pm
On view: June 2nd-30th
Location: Little Berlin, 2430 Coral St, Philadelphia, PA 19125
Closing Reception: Saturday, June 30th, 6-9pm

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania— Little Berlin is pleased to present HICKEY, June 2 – 30, 2018, including works by Max Adrian, Kyle Vu-Dunn, Stephen Grebinski, Paul Peng, Curtis Welteroth and Justin Woody. The exhibition is curated by Fred Blauth and Eric Anthony Berdis and an opening reception will be held on Saturday, June 2, between 6-9pm.

HICKEY irreverently presents tales of intimacy and identity through the works of six queer men. By using traditional mediums such as paint, paper, pencil and fiber, and then subverting their applications, the artists in HICKEY simultaneously make light of and shine light on, the absurdities of finding one’s self and then sharing with another.

Characters, costumes, scenes and props emerge in operatic fashion to culminate in a narrative-driven exhibition. Vu-Dunn, Peng and Grebinski create whole worlds in their works where figures (and viewer) must address notions of longing, otherness, artificial beauty and voyeurism. Adrian and Woody bring us out of these worlds with their large scale totems to the self, made using dramatically intense processes. Welteroth’s hyper realistic sculptures and paintings feel like bizarre artifacts that source imagery from the 16th century to the dark corners of the internet.

Aphrodisiacs have been sculpted from paper. Furries fall in love lust. Dream homes become haunted houses. Floor to ceiling tapestries have been woven from hair. Voodoo dolls become dog toys. Beauty hurts. In an age where hetero normative social standards have begun to slip back into the LGBTQIA+ community, the artists in HICKEY stand by the strangeness that accompanies queerness.

Fred Blauth is a curator, writer and preparator based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is a board member at Bunker Projects, an experimental artist residency and gallery that serves as a platform for emerging artists. He has worked with The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, Union Project, The Carnegie Library, Casey Droege Cultural Productions, and PERSAD Center since graduating from Duquesne University. He is a contributor to Pittsburgh City Paper, TABLE Magazine, Queer Pittsburgh and most recently, The Rib a decentralized platform that publishes art commentary and criticism. This will be his first Philadelphia based exhibition.
Eric Anthony Berdis is an artist and curator that is interested in work that presents alternative realities that subverts the body and material. Questioning ideas around “otherness”, binary systems, power and subversion they use absurdity and pathos to explore idolatry and fandom while embracing everything perverse. Originally from Erie, Pennsylvania, they received their BFA from Slippery Rock University. In 2016, they completed a post baccalaureate program with the Fibers & Material Studies Department at Tyler School of Art.

Little Berlin is an undefined exhibition space run by 11 people who curate the space using a collaborative, do-it-yourself ethic. Individual members curate monthly exhibits in the main gallery space and members organize pop up exhibitions, poetry readings, performances and various community outreach events in the annex space. Little Berlin is home to Philadelphia’s largest zine library. As an artist collective, it is unique for its focus on curation as well as its emphasis on experimental and innovative programming – supporting its overall mission to promote artists and ideas beyond the members’ individual art practices.

Contacts

Fred Blauth @fredblauth
Eric Anthony Berdis @ericanthonyberdis
Max Adrian @max.adrian 
Kyle Vu-Dunn @kylevudunn 
Stephen Grebinski @aparatfoto 
Paul Peng @pppaulpeng 
Curtis Welteroth @curtiswelteroth 
Justin Woody @baasick 

www.littleberlin.org

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Hickey, Little Berlin, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania