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Twin Town High (vol. 8) |
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Central Air Opens in Uptown
Wednesday 23 February @ 00:22:25 |
 by Natasha Walter
When John Corrigan noticed that the quaint space beside Lucia’s on 31st Street and Hennepin Avenue was for lease, he jumped on it. Not many people could seize such opportunities with so much ease, but it’s just that kind of zeal that makes Central Air, Uptown's newest art gallery, unique. The name was chosen because, according to curator and owner Corrigan, “the energy it takes to cool is much greater than what it takes to actively heat a space.” Indeed, Central Air regards its artists’ work with a cool gaze, keenly curating just the right combination to make a successful show.
Central Air’s first exhibit, The Mayor of Uptown, is a quirky take
on the man who lives upstairs from the gallery and owns numerous buildings in
the Uptown area. The exhibit name aptly fits the spirit of the gallery. “As
a curator and observer,” Corrigan says, “my intentions are to bring
together seemingly disparate artists.”
 With
more than a dozen artists representing a multitude of genres, this grand opening
group show is an extravaganza of artists with a message. An expressive junk
sculpture dangles beside nature photographs; intimate collages hang next to
vibrant paintings.
In small but expressive collages, artist John Diebel plays with the image of
a gloomy fat man. In one piece, the character’s miserable fate finds him
crouched on all fours with a cigarette butt snuffed out on his back. Another
character Diebel uses is a mischievous bird-like critter. In one image this
creature sits in a box on the kitchen floor, innocently gazing up, much like
a playful cat who finds intrigue with an empty paper sack. Through these warm
and cutting designs, Diebel resurrects a poignant quality reminiscent of youth’s
raw expressiveness, but with a sophisticated twist.
In contrast, Clea Felien’s paintings, which were created by her non-dominant
left hand, exude a stunning innocence. Though Felien has worked in classical-style
painting, these works were produced in response to the positive reception of
a few experiments. Each painting is childlike in approach (one depicts a small
boat, for example), but sophisticated in content. Like Diebel, Felien’s
work connects to childhood, but her results illicit a significantly different
response from the viewer.
Add to the mix the husband and wife team of Michael and Abigail Mouw for even
more diversity. Their rich, large-scale nature photographs are part of the collection
now hanging at the newest light-rail station at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International
Airport. These scenes expand the tradition of nature photography by adding eerie
touches, such as the dark shadow of an ax reaching across an immense stump.
Striking for their dazzling colors and sheer size, the images bring to the gallery
nature’s struggle with mankind.
Bubbling on the surface of the exhibit is Jon Nelson’s raucous, hanging
junk sculpture. Spilling out of this concoction are film reels, bent glasses,
lightbulbs, flowers and various other accoutrements. Nelson’s work reaches
out and tries to wrap itself around the paintings and the viewers. The sheer
energy of the sculpture’s physicality as a veritable life force kicks
the show into gear, adding introspection and contemplation of all things junk.
Central Air is one of the newest galleries in town. But with a popular Uptown
location and the extreme variety and one-of-a-kind charisma of this opening
show, it’s likely to become a popular destination. ||
The Mayor of Uptown runs through Feb. 26 at Central Air, 1428 W.
31st St., Mpls 612-703-5444. Gallery hours are Thu.–Fri. 1–7 p.m.
and Sat.–Sun. 1–6 p.m.
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