Curatorial Statement
Been there, done that.
Post-Everything, the first exhibition of Rotunda Gallery's 2005-2006 season, explores the very idea of flux in contemporary art. Post-modern, post-apocalyptic, post-minimal, post-war, post-partum, post-colonial, post-feminist, post-credible, post-historical; all these identifiers imply we are currently in a state of transition, something breaking loose from its past, pointing to the future, but not yet fully articulated.
Historically, new eras have begun as fragmented ideas that gain momentum, merging imperceptibly with the past to create the future. This phenomenon is heightened during times of political and economic uncertainty, often resulting in dramatic ruptures with the past. The formal principles of the Renaissance disintegrated into the instability and restlessness of the Mannerism, ushering in the Baroque. Fed by a climate of unending war, social unrest, mass consumer culture, and ever-escalating technology, we are becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the past and uncertain about the future. As we hover on the edge of the new, Post-Everything asks: where will our drifting lead?
Are we really, as Jean Baudrillard would posit, at the end of history? Have we really seen, as Donald Kuspit would bemoan, The End of Art? Or is it simply Post-modernism's hang-over? Post-Everything offers no definitive answers, but creates a space in which viewers are invited to speculate for themselves, aided by a sampling of work by artists struggling to articulate a new vision of contemporary art.
— Janine Cirincione
Gallery Location/Directions
The Rotunda Gallery (33 Clinton Street, Brooklyn Heights), housed in an award-winning space designed by Smith-Miller + Hawkinson, showcases the work of Brooklyn artists. The Rotunda Gallery's educational programs reach 6,000 students each year with gallery visits and in-school art making projects. Janet Riker is the Gallery Director; Meridith McNeal is Associate Director. The Rotunda Gallery is a project of the not-for-profit BRIC/Brooklyn Information & Culture, Inc.
Located in Brooklyn Heights, just over the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges, the Gallery is also easily accessible by public transportation. It is a short walk from the 2,3; 4,5; M; or R trains at the Court Street/Borough Hall station; or the A, C trains at High Street.
Acknowledgements
The Rotunda Gallery is grateful for the generous support of our exhibition and education programs from Astoria Federal, the Sally and Milton Avery Foundation, Bloomberg L.P., Con Edison, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Forest City Ratner Companies, the William Randolph Hearst Foundations, the Independence Community Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the New York Community Trust, JP Morgan Chase, the Pepsi Cola/Hip-Hop Summit Partnership, the Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation, Verizon, the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, as well as numerous individuals.
Programs are made possible in part by public funds from the National Endowment for the Arts, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs with support from Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz and the Brooklyn Delegation to the New York City Council, and the New York State Council on the Arts.
The Rotunda Gallery is a program of BRIC/Brooklyn Information & Culture
September 8 - October 22, 2005
Admission is FREE
OPENING NIGHT RECEPTION: Thursday, September 8 - 6pm-8pm
SPECIAL EVENTS
Sponsored by
Save the date for FREE public programs inspired by the exhibition.
Admission is free, but space is limited.
For details and reservations, please call 718.875.4047 x11.
Post-Everything Panel Discussion
Thursday, October 6, 2005
Wine and cheese reception - 6:30pm
Panel Discussion - 8pm
Moderated by sociologist and cultural critic Micki McGee, featuring Phong Bui, Graham Parker, and Damon Rich.
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An Evening of Readings and Performance
Thursday, October 20, 2005 - 7pm
The latest in Rotunda's acclaimed event series, including music by The Trophy Wives and animation by Ill Clan Productions.
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Interactive Walking Tour of Brooklyn Waterfront
Saturday, October 22, 2005 - 2pm
An introduction to the bureaucrats, activists and residents who contribute to the ongoing dialogue about Brooklyn's development, led by Dan Wiley.
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