For years, art was hung salon-style. Then it was done the way SoHo galleries did it…with loads of white space surrounding each work. Here in the Catskills we have Varga-style, a cornucopic potpourri of everything blasted all around a series of rooms, with music and performance tossed in to give it all a multi-dimensional experiential sense of oomph. Some (right…me) have labeled it all Energy Art.
Varga-style returns with an October Installation Art Experience at the former Woodstock gallerist’s new digs in what had been The Arts Upstairs (and before that Upstate Art) on Main Street in Phoenicia, blasting off with a reception at 5 p.m. Saturday, October 19.
It’s all going to be a lot more multi-media than most art around, or even at Varga’s shows over the years. There’s neon by Don Bruschi; Jim C’s melding of video, sound and painting using photomontage and collage; Bronson Eden videos and sculptures; a “fully immersive installation space of fibrous reticulations and bulbous pneumatophores crafted from textile scraps, stretched and morphed into the shape of nostalgic memory, comfort, with just a touch of uneasiness” by Holly McCabe; a childhood fears installation by Richard J. and Haviland S. Treitner; Paul McMahon’s Red Dots; Jennifer Zackin’s Vortex Weave; Megan Byrne’s performative “Umbilical Cords for Tick Mother Hawk,” plus flavorings and added color in the forms of Amelia Cote’s creatures, Nancy DeWeir Geaney’s paper flowers and garlands, and Kim Houska’s vines and other Halloweeny fun stuff.
Oh yes…and Varga’s own work, squeezed in everywhere.
At the opening, Linda Mary Montana will perform as Bob Dylan, Peter Head will play his one-of-a-kind guitars and other stringed instruments, and Pitchfork Militia will perform.
“Art Installs & Artist Created and themed Rooms, Corners, Nooks, Ceilings have taken over the studio space and an eclectic, eye popping group of artists have come together to create an installation inspired by the likes of Yayoi Kusama, Meow Wolf and Alice in Wonderland,” Varga has written of what to expect. “This creates a happening for the community and shares the space with fellow creatives to herald the village of Phoenicia with something along the lines of a haunted house, but more conceptual — a colorful, kid friendly installation that is interactive and fun for everyone.”
Christina Varga and her new “quilted social sculpture,” are all opening at 60 Main Street in Phoenicia from 5 p.m. on this Saturday, October 19. Visit vargagallery.com or call 688-3159 for more info.