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Look Again: Revive @ Zygote “It is an allegory of obscure but inescapable meaning.” That is how Arthur Danto described the poetic beauty of contemporary artist Shirin Neshat’s artwork. Danto was not at a loss for articulation but rather was identifying the unique quality that makes Neshat’s photographs of Islamic women poignant, contemplative and inherently complex. The same may be said of the exhibition Revive at Zygote Press. Curator Liz Maugans selected area artists whose work she admires but is thematically difficult to categorize, and asked each to return to something forgotten or discarded, whether it is a theme, a medium, or a thought, and re-address it within their art. This simple concept led to an introspective and compelling exhibition that is introspective. Each artwork is visually disparate, but in regards to quality of execution, artistic vision and expression, they are not. Work by thirteen artists from various disciplines are included in the exhibition, with art objects ranging from the remnants of a child’s first communion to delicate outlines of ivy climbing along milky rice paper to abstract specimens printed and neatly numbered on a grid of cards pinned to the wall like a large game of memory. Most resonate reverie; some humor, like a long-lost joke whose comic sensibility lays on the razor edge of truth. Within the gallery the objects become allegories. They symbolize hidden lore valuable specifically to the artist, but whose beauty is still appreciable by the viewer. Shelly DiCello’s two intaglio prints quietly demand ‘I am of Someplace’ – text which is printed on each. In the first, delicate hairs tickle the words as they rest in a valley of gray clutter tumbling towards the next incline. In the second, the text streams in watery, oblong tears from a woman’s eyes. Her prints exude a familiar melancholy similar to the words of a cherished love song from days gone by. DiCello describes them as fanciful landscapes in which abstraction converses with glimpses of representation. Within the realm of her artwork, the artist has been able to express her visions and ideals of beauty and decay. Joel Ross’ works on paper pair text with image. Their concept stems from an old habit of collecting newspaper articles and photographs the artist calls “Trail”. In Good Man, a hand drawn cowboy hat floats on its own plane of paper alongside another listing the attributes of a good man—sincere, discreet and quiet. The iconic hat remains, but the body of the man does not; he has been displaced or forgotten. Kristen Cliffel’s ceramic “American Pies” are literally “loaded” with pistols, cherries and wit. “Hostess Pie” features a topless cowgirl branded on its center with the phrase “No matter where I serve my guests it seems they like my kitchen best.” Cliffel wrestles to make sense of the world through her artwork. As puzzling world situations perpetuate, looking back has given her sculptures a newfound richness and power. The empowering effect of Revive does not stop with the artists involved; it is proffered to its audience as well. Leaving the Zygote Press gallery, one is left with an ultimate sense of validation and a renewed respect for the fine crafting of an art object. The artists have returned to something old, something less urgent, and reinvigorated it into something exquisite. It is quite therapeutic. Revive Zygote Press Gallery 1410 E. 30th Street 216.621.2900 Article first appeared in Issue 31, March/April 2007
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