New Works by Marc Swanson on View at Basilica Hudson

Marc Swanson, Horned Head, 2016, ram skull, plaster and fabric, 39 x 17 x 9 inches

Marc Swanson, Horned Head, 2016, ram skull, plaster and fabric, 39 x 17 x 9 inches

(HUDSON, N.Y.) – “Sorrow in Sunlight,” an exhibition of new works by Marc Swanson, opens in the Back Gallery at Basilica Hudson on Saturday, August 6, with a reception from 4 to 7pm. In this new body of work, Swanson examines the experience and emotions of moving from New York City to the Upper Hudson Valley through installation, sculpture, abstraction and metaphor. The exhibition is co-presented by Jeff Bailey Gallery, and will close with an evening of readings by Jack Ferver and Chris Freeman on Saturday, August 20, at 4pm.

In the exhibition, Swanson has created a poetic response to his personal journey with a large sculptural installation that gratefully acknowledges the Hudson River School and Rural Cemeteries.

Marc Swanson is a contemporary American artist whose work brings together formal preoccupations and references to personal history and identity conflict. He works in a variety of media, including sculpture, drawing, video, photography, and complex installations. As art critic David Velasco notes, “Swanson is an auto mythologist, one who excels in crafting sparkling, enigmatic totems from the messiness of his own history; there kitsch and confession dovetail to reveal, not obscure, visceral thirsts.”

Swanson’s work has been exhibited nationally and internationally at institutions such as The Whitney Museum of American Art (NYC), MoMA PS1 (NYC), The New Museum of Contemporary Art (NYC), The Museum of Arts and Design (NYC), Walker Art Center (Minneapolis), Kemper Museum of Contemporary (Kansas City) St. Louis Museum of Art (St. Louis), Contemporary Arts Museum of Houston (Houston), Saatchi Gallery (London), and Tensta Konstall (Stockholm).

Jack Ferver is a New York based writer, director, and choreographer. He is a 2016 Foundation for Contemporary Arts Grant Recipient. His works have been presented at the New Museum; The Kitchen; The French Institute Alliance Française, the Museum of Arts and Design, the Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College, American Dance Institute, Diverse Works in collaboration with the Contemporary Arts Museum of Houston (TX); and Théâtre de Vanves (France). As an actor he has appeared in numerous film, television, and theater projects.

Chris Freeman is an artist, writer and drag race car and truck builder/racer who lives and works in Hudson, N.Y. His work has been shown in many galleries and institutions including The Drawing Center, The New Museum, HERE and The Knitting Factory. His paintings can currently be seen at the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art at SUNY New Paltz, as part of the exhibition “Campsite.”

Basilica Hudson is a non-profit multidisciplinary arts center in Hudson, NY, supporting the creation, production and presentation of arts and culture while fostering sustainable community. Founded in 2010 by musician Melissa Auf der Maur and filmmaker Tony Stone, Basilica Hudson makes its home in a spectacular solar-powered reclaimed 1880s industrial factory on the waterfront of the historic City of Hudson. Weekend destination events comprise the core of Basilica Hudson’s music, performance, film, food and literary programming, alongside regular film screenings series, art exhibitions, and other community gatherings. The artistic program has taken shape thanks to many partners, collaborators, visiting artists, friends, adventurous audiences and community members.

 

 

 

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.