SPECTER OF DOCUMENTATION

SPECTER OF DOCUMENTATION' AT DURDEN AND RAY

Curated by Jenny Hager, Jennifer Celio, and Valerie Wilcox

Artists include Sydney Croskery, Dani Dodge, Marielle Farnan, Ed Gomez, Claudia Parducci, Sabine Pearlman, Liza Ryan, Curtis Stage, Joe Wolek, Steven Wolkoff, and Tim Youd.

Opening reception: Saturday, Oct. 13, 2018, 7-10 p.m. 

Run of show: Oct. 13 - Nov. 3, 2018 

Hours: Saturday and Sunday, noon - 5 p.m. and by appointment 

Location: Durden and Ray, 1206 Maple Ave. #832, Los Angeles, CA 90015 

Specter: appearance, to look at, a phantom, a threatening or haunting possibility

Documentation: the gathering, collation, synopsizing and coding of printed material for future reference; the orderly presentation, organization and communication of recorded special knowledge to produce a historical record of changes in variables; the act or instance of the provision ofdocuments or supporting references or records. 

Specter and documentation, upon first consideration, could seem to be the antithesis of one another. Specter deals in the ephemeral appearance of possibility with poignant undertones, while documentation traditionally resides in the orderly, matter-of-fact recording, noting, or organization of material to produce a record for future reference. Art chosen for this exhibition exists in the intersection of specter and documentation. It bears the echo of inhabitation and embodies the everyday mundane. Of special interest are works that present an image or object embodying documentary tendencies while a second and incidental reading conjures issues of cultural relevance and controversial debate. 

In tandem with this exploration lies the notion of “soul theft” through photography and camera devices. While the elusive roots of this concept belie its lack of reality amongst anthropological studies, there is a kernel of truth to how the picture taker can extract an essence through the final product, metaphorically presenting the complex haunting prospect of the human condition. The artists in this exhibition, through photography, painting, drawing, video, and installation, investigate the specter of the person left behind. The banal and the extraordinary, residing in the objects and places that humans inhabit, and then abandon.