Primal Energies, a two-person exhibition featuring the work of Jamal Ince and Diana McClure, explores the life-force energy manifesting principle of the universe.

Primal Energies will be on view at the Cielo Bar & Lounge gallery space, 474 Myrtle Avenue in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn, from June 8 – July 8, 2013, with an opening party from 5pm – 8pm on Saturday, June 8^th. This exhibition launch is part of the 14th annual SONYA (South of the Navy Yard Artists) Studio Stroll that features work from artists living and working in the Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Wallabout and Bedford Stuyvesant neighborhoods of Brooklyn.

The work of Jamal Ince and Diana McClure intersects via a shared interest in metaphysics, color and composition. However, each artist explores what lies beyond scientific fact through different paradigms, one urban culture and music, the other eastern philosophies and nature. Ince takes music and the act of creation as points of departure, while McClure comments on inner sovereignty, meditation and the pleasures of inner spaciousness.

Ince and McClure first exhibited together as photographers in the 2000 Guerilla’s in the Midst exhibition at Skylight Gallery in Brooklyn. Since then they have both moved on to explore a variety of media, some of which will be on view in the Primal Energies exhibition at Cielo gallery space.

The 14^th Annual SONYA Studio Stroll takes places Saturday and Sunday, June 8^th and 9^th, from 12pm-6pm both days. A location map for open studios can be found at www.sonyaonline.org.

For further information about Primal Energies contact Jamal Ince (Jamal_ince@yahoo.com), Diana McClure (Diana@dianamcclure.com) or www.cielobarbrooklyn.com.

Top to bottom: 1) Curators/Artists Diana McClure & Alice Mizrachi. 2) Gallery view with performance installation by Olek in foreground, and work by Lady Pink (back left) and Lichiban (back right). 3) Artists from the exhibition.

Opening night was incredible! Special thanks to Lenny, Tara, Yvette and Freddy for all their help with the installation, Mike (video), Doc (music), and Radeberger Beer!

WATCH THE OPENING NIGHT VIDEO HERE

PURPLE is on view through November 19th at Causey Contemporary gallery in Williamsburg, Brooklyn featuring work by:

Alice Mizrach, Diana McClure, Gilf!, Lady Pink, Lichiban, Miss Van, Olek, Priscila De Carvalho, Queen Andrea, Ritzy Periwinkle, and Sofia Maldonado.

This past summer I was invited by BRIC Contemporary Art Director, Elizabeth Ferrer, to curate a fall 2012 BRIC Short List. A project where, periodically, BRIC invites artists and arts professionals to create a Short List of some of their favorite artists in the BRIC Contemporary Artist Registry. I chose to select specific pieces from artists in the registry. Below are selections from 10 artists and a curatorial statement.

BRIC Short List

Fall 2012

The selections for this month’s BRIC Short List began with a look at Ashley Zelinskie’s Prayer Wheel (1), a rendition of a Buddhist prayer wheel inscribed with the Dalai Lama’s tweets! An amusing marriage of the quiet mind of Buddhism with the 24/7 chitchat of Twitter. From there I discovered the beautifully serene depictions of artist Jayoung Yoon’s journey on the path of meditation, Listening the Mind I (2). At this point my ideas began to coalesce into a decision to curate a body of work that explores the notion of mind control, personal power or monkey mind/mind monkey. Whether it’s psychology, philosophy, meditation, prayer or yoga, a constant inner dialogue is being engaged, by a large amount of people, most of the time. Staging My Own Death (3) by Michael Tarbi leaves plenty of room to wonder why the protagonist of this piece has chosen to die? Literally or metaphorically? Suicide or murder? What brought his mind to that decision? On the other hand we have Untitled (BRIC image #16) (4) by Ryan Peltier. An amusing group of characters dancing, admiring in particular two ladies getting their groove on. The drawing brings to mind several moments and styles of collective consciousness – 1920s flappers, avant-garde sensibilities and modern day hipsters. Matthew Wilson’s Commute (drawn while waiting) (5) is an echo to Yoon’s work, demonstrating the practice of focusing the mind or emptying it. Juxtaposition takes place when Jaret Vadera’s work Untitled III (6) is considered. Performing all three of the characters in this work, Vadera interrogates the notion of perspective while simultaneously presenting what could be read as an open-ended story of the sinister actions of an untamed mind. This BRIC Short List moves into the domain of coupledom with pieces by Rachel Selekman – The Lovers (7), Divya Mehra – The Pleasure of Hating (8) and Karyn Olivier – Doubleslide (9).  The idea of a partner as a reflection of the self, a site where the untamed mind projects its subconscious, can be read in the strangling or embracing nature of Selekman’s sculpture, The Lovers. The Pleasure of Hating by Mehra offers a comedic take on the basest use of the human mind, deftly mixing danger and humor within what seems to be the familiarity of marriage. The work also succinctly portrays contemporary culture’s simplistic branding of identity. Olivier’s Doubleslide conceptually speaks to the back and forth or ups and downs that play out in relationships, while simultaneously suggesting this same ride takes place in the individual, alone. Lastly, the work Untitled (BRIC image 18) (10) by Jeanne Tremel offers an exclamation point for this BRIC Short List. Representing the free form expression of the human mind, and emotion.  A contrast to the more cerebral work presented here, Tremel’s work in this context brings into high relief the question of how emotions get triggered, enflamed and driven to action.  Perhaps, by our thoughts?

-Diana McClure

Detail images by Lady Pink, Diana McClure and Priscila De Carvalho

Opens October 19, 2012 6-9pm! For exhibition info click here.

Purple

Eleven female contemporary artists will explore Purple as a color, word and psychological context in a freestyle exhibition where medium, formal strategies and process intersect to create original content.  Purple will be on view at Causey Contemporary Gallery, 92 Wythe Avenue in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, from October 19 – November 18, 2012, with an opening reception from 6pm – 9pm on Friday, October 19^th. Curated by Diana McClure and Alice Mizrachi, this exhibition features a group of international street, mural, urban and contemporary artists from across the United States and abroad including: Alice Mizrachi, Diana McClure, Gilf!, Lady Pink, Lichiban, Miss Van, Olek, Priscila De Carvalho, Queen Andrea, Ritzy Periwinkle, and Sofia Maldonado. From electric purple, Tyrian purple and Han purple, to purple prose, purple patches and human color psychology, the color purple has been tapped by the musician Prince, the author Alice Walker, the French art publication Purple Journal, and the ancient world, to convey a certain psychological vibration, spiritual energy or visual message.  In this exhibition, each artists’ interpretation of purple aims to unlock new readings on the visceral, intellectual, conceptual, spiritual and pleasurable aspects of the color purple.

Push, 2011 by Titus Kaphar

If you happen to be in Monaco this summer stop by Titus Kaphar’s exhibition Behind A Veil of Beauty at Sem Art Gallery.

I wrote an essay, Titus Kaphar: Shape-Shifter, for the exhibition catalog that explores the many layers of Kaphar’s work.

Installation view at WONK - Diana M. Art

Installation view at WONK - Diana M. Art

I’m participating in an open studio in Brooklyn where I will be showing my work at WONK, an eco-friendly custom furniture design company that manufactures in Brooklyn. Click here to download the SONYA (South of the Navy Yard Artists) Studio Stroll Map & Guide. Or visit www.wonknyc.com.

Emilio Sanchez Foundation

It was a pleasure working with Ann Koll, Executive Director of the Emilio Sanchez Foundation, on the organization’s 2012 Progress Report.  To find out more about the art, foundation and career of Emilio Sanchez click here to read the report.

Jaret Vadera and Diana McClure, Libertas I, 2012, C-print diptych, 12"x18"

Jaret Vadera and Diana McClure, Libertas II, 2012, C-print diptych, 12"x18"

Artist Jaret Vadera invited me to collaborate on a piece as part of his winter 2012 Transparent Studio residency at Bose Pacia gallery in Dumbo, Brooklyn. Despite the fact that it was a brisk outdoor winter performance/photograph project, it was a lot of fun to make!

In 2011 I had a solo show in Miami, Cosmic Sheness; contributed an essay, The Metaphysics of Lynching, to the University of San Diego Visual Studies art journal pros*;  and, co-curated an exhibition and programming commissioned by Sarah Lawrence College and the Yonkers Public Library.

ARCO Madrid, Murcia Trip 2010

In 2010 I worked as a professional development consultant in the arts and continued art writing on DaWire.com. I was also a guest at the ARCO Madrid art fair, where I documented my trip in a piece for DaWire. Read it here.

In January 2009 the Cultureserve.net blog was announced as a 2008 Finalist for a Creative-Capitol Warhol Foundation Arts Writers grant. In 2009 I was also a member of the Curatorial Committee for Photo Miami, a contemporary art fair for photo-based art, video & new media, and profiled Brooklyn artists in the Living Arts column for the NewYorkTimes.com/LOCAL as part of a New York Times experimental project on hyperlocal and collaborative journalism.