NOTHING RITUALLY

NOTHING RITUALLY DEREK G. LARSON + MARC MITCHELL GRIN

NOTHING RITUALLY DEREK G. LARSON + MARC MITCHELL AUGUST 13 - SEPTEMBER 10

GRIN is pleased to present Nothing Ritually, an interdisciplinary exhibition by Derek

G.

Larson

and

Marc

Mitchell.

In

keeping

with

previous

projects

this

fourth and most truly collaborative effort follows a select data set to define and develop the work. This process follows a script the artists have titled Dazzle Ships, a seven act play without actors; which groupings of paintings, video and objects embody characters from American plays. Visitors receive a playbill with the order of appearance for each act and background information on playwrights and plot.

DAZZLE SHIPS Act 1: Alms for the Middle Class by Stoo Hample Act 2: Giants Have Us In Their Books by JosÊ Rivera Act 3: The Ballad of the Sad Cafe by Edward Albee Act 4: Flaming Guns of the Purple Sage by Jane Martin Act 5: Arborophilia by Jacob M. Appel Act 6: The Folly of Others by Neith Boyce Act 7: The Finger of God by Percival Wilde Borrowing language from both war-time diversion tactics and eloquent writers, Nothing Ritually functions as a vehicle for the two artists to relay their sentiments about the current political and economic climate. The selected plays, each by lesser-known by 20th century American Playwrights that tell a story of economic tragedy, lend their titles to the individual acts in Dazzle Ships, which in turn choreographs the viewer’s movements through the exhibition.

The

cyclical nature of success and failure through history and to present day is at the heart of this exhibition. dereklarson.com mmitchelpainting.com

Ballad of the Sad Cafe Acrylic on panel w/ satin. 62.5" x 32", 2016

Giants Have Us in Their Books Acrylic screen print on panel & felt. 47" x 19�, 2016

DEREK G. LARSON AND MARC MITCHELL IN CONVERSATION WITH ELIZABETH DEVLIN ON THE OCCASION OF NOTHING RITUALLY AT GRIN

ELIZABETH

DEVLIN:

Separately

you

past projects---like using data sets to

both maintain your own distinct visual

create

arts

imagery---

practices

and

your

fourth,

marks

Nothing

images,

where

but

for

rules

this

dictate

project

we’ve

seemingly

let go of some of that. The narratives

most complex, collaborative undertak-

of the seven plays have a role (even

ing.

if loose) and each piece is titled after

Reflecting

collaborations,

and

Ritually

on A

your

Monk

previous

Texting,

at

a

particular

play.

The

plays

are

Redux Contemporary in South Caroli-

obscure and written by American play-

na, Just Gaming at Laconia Gallery in

wrights

Boston and [mon-i-tor] at University of

economic

Alabama’s

plays

Sella-Granata

Art

Gallery,

either

during

wartime

catastrophe.

are

all

and/or

Each

really

good

of

the

and

we

Nothing Ritually appears to be guided

certainly don’t do them justice.

by a different set of rules. The earlier

that in mind, we’re not trying to illus-

shows are structured in a linear way;

trate

with inputs in the form of variables

that each will be made available to

and data sets identified by you both,

read in the gallery.

which

are

then

aggregated

the

plays

and

we’ve

With

decided

and

analyzed to create a visual output. As

LD: As an outsider attempting to wrap

for

my

Nothing

Ritually,

the

parameters

head

around

the

exhibition,

it

the

show

construct

is

vague,

there

are not as apparent, and the exhibi-

seems

tion seems to be driven by qualitative

purposely

factors

rather

content in the overview which guides

would

you

than

quantitative.

describe

this

How

particular

like

audience

is

comprehension

very

as

little

opposed

show’s flow? Are there defined rules

to your earlier efforts; and there are

or

so

guidelines

you

have

in

place

to

drive the creative process?

many

esoteric

complex layers

to

and the

increasingly exhibition

as

you drill down that at some point I, DEREK LARSON + MARK MITCHELL:

as a reader of the overview, surren-

This is our most collaborative project,

dered and accepted my own naiveté

in

. Thinking structurally about the exhi-

the

would

past hang

we side

made by

things

side

and

that the

bition

as

an

artistic

org

chart,

you

collaboration happened in our conver-

have Nothing Ritually the overarching

sation.

project, which can be summed up as

But

integrating pieces

now our

that

we’re efforts

travel

sharing into

and

singular

between

our

a

collaborative

artists

featuring

exhibition seven

of

two

works,

and

studios. So our approach is similar to then conceptually these seven works

are grouped within the context of a

decision to share in an ‘Act’ format,

script

name

unless that was a nod to the use of

which carries its own distinct mean-

the plays themselves. Do the narra-

ing, and then the script itself contains

tives

seven acts, and each act is named

each Act serve as the framework?

called

Dazzle

Ships,

a

behind

the

individual

plays

in

after a lesser-known play by a 20th century

American

playwright.

Firstly,

DL + MM: Each act is a singular play and

have I got that right?

should

be

read

separately.

We

were thinking about a viewing format that

DL+MM: Yes you’re right.

interrupts

how

people

usually

interact with art (linearly, chronologiLD: Second, in structuring this show,

cally, etc). There’s an order with the

you

acts but it’s more like a suggestion.

must

have

realized

that

the

general audience will not readily make the

connection

and

the

like

a

art

between

on

view,

deliberate

obscure works

--

between

of

so the

which

decision

nature

is

plays

plays

LD: Can you explain a bit more about

seems

what it is about those plays in partic-

these

given

the

the

referenced

this

connection

and

the

artwork

ular? Do they all convey and reiterate the same messaging?

DL

+

MM:

Most

of

the

plays

are

itself important to you? What are you

nuanced. They feature violent, dramat-

hoping

ic fictions about love affairs that high-

viewers

will

take

away

from

this exhibition?

DL+MM:

Since

most

people

will

not

light

various

American

landscapes

the

South,

Northeast,

West,

ly

all seven plays, we thought our idea

religion plays a recurring role.

ground

hinge

on

all

information.

of

We

the

etc.

They’re pure Americana, simultaneous-

have the time to sit down and read shouldn’t

in

satirical

and

affectionate,

and

back-

wanted

to

We were initially drawn to the plays

create an experience with the playbill,

for

one in which a visitor could walk into

plots interesting. Many of these plays

the

are

gallery

and

either

look

at

the

their

titles,

difficult

but

to

find.

also

found

Since

the

they

are

work as one typically does, or decide

somewhat obscure, many of the plays

to

are

view

them

in

the

order

of

the

bundled

volumes

find in library or in print. While the

in. We decided to create a narrative

primary

with

stories

competent

and

example,

eloquent writers than ourselves.

attraction were The

them

other

for November and the moment we’re more

makes

with

works.

much

This

in

seven acts. The plays are a metaphor

was

also Folly

difficult

to

titles,

the

compelling.

For

of

Others

by

Neith Boyce (1904), was set just after LD:

What

is

the

significance

of

the

the

Philippine-American

War

and

sequencing of the Acts? If they are

reveals an interesting shift from Victo-

all standalone works, whose order is

rian

interchangeable, wondering why the

ideas about citizenship. The Ballad of

to

Modern

social

mores

and

the

Sad

Cafe

by

Carson

McCullers

The

eye-tracking

studies

I’ve

been

and adapted by Edward Albee (1963),

running involve measuring task perfor-

was compelling because it was written

mance

during the first phase of the Vietnam

designs.

War

in

affect on the imagery I make but I’m

Georgia, where both of us taught and

more interested in how this informa-

lived

(Derek

tion can be used to enhance viewer

tense

love

and

the

story still

takes

lives

triangle

place

there).

with

a

It’s

a

horrible

while

looking

The

results

at

certain

have

had

an

performance.

twist.

MM: There is always a balance. As LD: Derek, you previously authored a

Derek mentioned, you could approach

short book called Composition, Color,

the

and

Interactivity,

standpoint,

“an

ongoing

which

study

you

in

consider

task

perfor-

work

more.

from

a

but

purely

there

aesthetic

is

certainly

In the studio, all artists have

mance, emotion & design” but to me,

a relationship to previous languages--

it also reflects an innate curiosity with

borrowing,

the act of seeing and the nuances of

works

how viewers digest stimuli in different

Derek mentioned, speaks to notions of

settings

abstraction,

tions.

and

You

under

different

employ

condi-

different

abstract

appropriating,

have

many color

etc.

layers

theory,

These

that,

as

mid-century

plays/literature, battleship design, etc.

color compositions as your vehicle for understanding, inherently theory

and

languages, true,

and

seems the

work

play

assuming Nothing

approached

from

standpoint?

If

color

of

were

significance

of

having

Dazzle

Ships

visual

serve as the title of your seven act

be

script?

be

instance of art being used as a tool

aesthetic

of war, was remarkable in a design

Ritually an

LD: Apart from aesthetics, what is the

to

this

purely

so,

also

with

exploration

so,

can

Marc’s to

there

any

Dazzle

sense,

but

camouflage,

less

an

successful

early

as

a

particular design principles that guided

wartime diversion technique; would it

the creation of the work?

have

been

less

compelling

subject

matter if the design proved to be a DL: Yes you could approach it from

success?

a

but

any, play in the creative process? Did

we’re

the socio political context serve as an

purely

there’s using

aesthetic

more. are

about

standpoint,

The

languages

borrowed;

color

mid-century

when

theory,

talk

role

does

failure,

if

influence?

abstraction, design,

DL + MM: Both failure and success

these things are part of our past but

are at the heart of our project. It’s

continually get represented to us as

difficult

consumers

doesn’t categorize things in that way.

optimism

plays,

we

What

battleship

everyday. in

the

project

Misguided gets

to

the

Our

to

project

find doesn’t

any

history

focus

on

that failure

core of how we feel about the 20th

alone (in fact, the dazzle ship tech-

Century and why we titled the play

nique was successful in many ways),

Dazzle Ships.

however, we’re more interested in

presenting multiple dramatic storylines created during times of major conflict.

The stories we’ve chosen act more as dazzle ship painting than our actual paintings.

The

stories

aren’t

literal

diversions but a parallel to the hopeful optimism in creating a diversion.

The

dazzle

ship

painting

technique

was created to protect merchant ships in wartime, a sort of active pacifism, maybe story

similar in

we’ve

to

writing

wartime.

chosen

Most

don’t

a

of

beautiful the

point

plays

directly

at

war but allude to it through metaphor

Elizabeth

and other literary devices.

curator, art consultant, and founder of

Devlin

is

an

independent

FLUX. Boston, an online resource for LD: As we find ourselves in an elec-

artists

tion

Boston

year,

between

is

there

Dazzle

a

Ships

relationship

and

our

own

and area

educational

wrights

FLUX.

as

conduits

through

enthusiasts

and

beyond.

in

the

Through

event coverage, artist interviews, and

current political climate? Do the playserve

art

posts,

readers

Elizabeth to

feel

enables informed,

which to express your own thoughts

engaged

as

pulse of Boston Arts. Her writing has

visual

artists,

verbal/theatrical serves

as

a

providing

framework

backdrop

for

a

in,

and

which

been

featured

own

New

American

your

aesthetic language?

connected

in

Art

New

Paintings,

to

the

England,

and

Art21

Magazine among others. As a trusted resource and friend to the Arts com-

DL + MM: Yes totally. We wanted a

munity, a certified Boston Redevelop-

script that represents our climate and

ment

highlights its cyclical nature. American

several critically acclaimed exhibitions

politics

to-date, Elizabeth strives to make the

borrows

too

much

from

the

Authority

past and social progress is too slow.

art

Many

champion

of

the

platform

issues

in

the

2016 presidential race are similar to those

from

the

1980’s

Where’s the progress?

&

world

artist

more the

flux-boston.com

curator

accessible

endeavors

creative community.

90’s.

and

of

and

of

to

Boston's

Aborophilia Acrylic on panels & felt. 60" x 54", 2016

Finger of God Acrylic & gold leaf on panel w/ satin & plastic. 24" x 24", 2016

DEREK G LARSON Derek G. Larson received his MFA from the Yale School of Art and has participated

in

a

number

of

national

and

international

exhibitions

and

residencies.

Recent shows include the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Human Resources Los Angeles and POWRPLNT Brooklyn. In 2013 he published an online exhibit with Big Red & Shiny in Boston and was a finalist for the Hudgens Prize in Atlanta.

In 2014 he received the SECAC Fellowship Award and the David Bermant Foundation Fellowship. He teaches in the Summer Studio Program at VCU and has been featured in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Boston Globe, The Seattle Times, NY Arts Magazine and New American Paintings. dereklarson.net

MARC MITCHELL Marc Mitchell received his MFA from Boston University and has participated in a number of exhibitions at institutions such as G.A.S.P Gallery, Boston; Denise Bibro Gallery, New York; University of Wisconsin, Madison; University of Massachusetts, Boston; and Laconia Gallery, Boston. Over the past 10 years, he has overseen exhibitions that feature artists such as Josef Albers, Louise Bourgeois, Emmet

Gowin,

Ellsworth

Kelly,

Robert

Longo,

Sam

Messer,

Allan

McCollum,

Richard Misrach, Thomas Nozkowski, Fred Sandback, and many others. In 2014 his

work

was

selected

for

New

American

Paintings

and

he

is

currently

an

Assistant Professor of Art and the Director of Exhibitions at the University of Arkansas. mmitchellpainting.net

ABOUT GRIN GRIN

is

a

contemporary

art

gallery

located

at

The

Plant

in

the

historic

Olneyville District of Providence, Rhode Island. Directed by Corey Oberlander and Lindsey Stapleton, GRIN was founded in 2013 as a space for artists to develop and exhibit their work, with a steady curatorial hand.

Our intent is to develop an intellectually demanding yet aesthetically pleasing program, focusing on emerging artists working across mediums. Our hope is to stimulate fresh dialogue while continuing to promote the development of the local creative community. Our mission is to support the careers of underexposed artists with a devotion to process and conceptual advancement.

To purchase any available works, please contact us directly at director@grinprovidence.com. All sales are Tax Free!

CONTACT 60 Valley Street, Unit 3 Providence, RI02909 e. contact@grinprovidence.com p. 401 272 0796 Open Saturdays 12PM - 5PM, by announcement, appointment and chance.