Shinsuke Aso Nicky Enright Heather Hart Annalisa MaryPerazzi Jeys Kim Jong Il Ronald Reagan MIchelle Kaufman Matt Kleenex Carolyn Lambert Ramon Esquiverna Laetitia Ann-Saedler Scott Massey Camilla Perowski-Wittgenstein Edo Udo Rachel Minnesota
Cashing Out The Longest Curated by Petrushka Bazin Larsen Show Title of the Universe is Here From April 19 to May 16, 2013 by: Opening Reception: Friday, AprilCurated 19, 7-9 PM Franklin Delano and NURTUREart Gallery Eric Sutherland 56 Bogart St., Brooklyn, NY 11206 From April 26 to May 28, 2012 Opening Reception: Friday, May 28, 7-9 PM NURTUREart Gallery 56 Bogart St., Brooklyn, NY 11206
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Heather Hart Barter Town (image from “Between the Bridges” - Photo credit: C. Bay Milin), 2010-2012. Exchange.
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Cashing Out by Petrushka Bazin Larsen
In today’s economy where there is a gross disparity between haves and have not’s, how does one survive while living on the margins of not having? Some artists in Cashing Out offer creative proposals for living a sustainable life that is supported by cooperative economics while others prompt us to examine our notions about value. This exhibition considers the possibility of paying for goods and services using local currencies and through bartered exchanges. It challenges us to evaluate our own value systems, and affirms that time is always more valuable than money, but with it, trust and cooperation strides can be made towards ensuring a more sustainable albeit utopic life for all. Departing from his postcard project SAPC where he makes postcards from found paper and sells them for a quarter, Shinsuke Aso’s new project Useful Things for Sale invites viewers to purchase such items as an orphaned glove, miscellaneous plastic toy parts, a piece of rope, and broom stick, among other merchandise for what some may deem significantly inflated and deflated prices. For instance the broom stick may be priced at $20 while the glove may cost $.50. In this colorful pop-up shop of carefully selected objects, Aso suggests that there are a vari-
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ety of ways to value things while inviting the customer to decide what is valuable to them based on their needs. In his video, Money Talks, Nicky Enright shares the results of an anonymous personal finance survey taken by 88 artists and arts professionals. The results are revealing as we learn that the net worth of this group are in the negative millions while 48% of respondents have health insurance only because of their partner or other family member’s affiliation. Globo is an international currency created by Enright that is meant to evoke a vision of world unity and progress while simultaneously suggesting the ever-increasing reach of globalization. Part of her larger Trading Posts series, Heather Hart’s Trading Post IX provides a literal post for visitors to exchange an object of equal or greater non-currency-based value for the object that is provided on the post by the previous participant. The exchange is anonymous and is based on the honor system. Barter Town, which is also part of Hart’s Trading Post series, has the appearance of a carnival or block party, but is a bartering only event where “vendors” offer such things as chocolates, massages and haircuts in exchange for other goods or services. Included
in this exhibition is documentation of Barter Town’s various iterations. Mary Jeys is the founder of the Brooklyn Torch—a local currency that can only be used in North Brooklyn’s Williamsburg, Bushwick and Greenpoint neighborhoods. Jeys’ project offers residents the opportunity to acquire this currency and purchase goods at trade stores held in Greenpoint on first Saturdays of the month. There, Jeys stimulates her local economy by paying those who have services to offer Torches for adding themselves to the project’s registry. When setting prices, Jeys instructs vendors to be fair and reasonable based on what they believe others will pay. In its current manifestation Brooklyn Torch is a hybridized pawnshop for goods and services as local storefront business owners are currently not supported by the currency. With over 20 years experience managing mutual equity funds on Wall Street, Michelle Kaufman, who is now an artist, explores power structures and the emotions felt as social equity changes. Path references a period of time when farmers’ debts could be wiped clean because the single entity in charge of justice and banking needed them to also fight as soldiers in military conflicts. Her work considers the leverage workers have
over their power-wielding authorities. The words presented in this work also lead viewers to consider the relationship between phrases like “take what you need” and words like “surplus,” “value,” and relativism.” In her video Raw Material, Carolyn Lambert pushes viewers to assess how cultural context can skew our opinion of what is valuable. The video shows a woman carrying a slab of MDF board through several of New York’s commercial and cultural districts. In some cases the viewer is left to question whether she is carrying art or construction material as she navigates each neighborhood. The ambiguity of her action focuses attention on context as an operative mechanism for value within the realms of art, economics, and everyday life. Scott Massey attempts to pay his debts with his words in his video One Thousand Four Hundred and Ninety Two Fifty Two. A bank representative explains to Massey that in order to pay the money owed, he must pay with actual currency. He persistently attempts to pay by simply saying the sum of his debts. The absurdity of this exchange does remind the viewer that the only thing that makes money real is our faith and cooperative understanding of its value.
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Above and Right Shinsuke Aso Useful Things for Sale, 2013. Mixed media, dimensions variable.
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Nicky Enright The Globo, 2008 - present. Printed bills, framed prints, money case on pedestal + real bills, (peformance/intervention).
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Michelle Kaufman Path, 2011. Permanent felt tip marker on vellum, 5’ x 5’.
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Heather Hart Trading Post IX, 2013. Wood and exchange, dimensions variable.
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Mary Jeys Brooklyn Torch Bills (front and back), 2013. Ink and paper, 9” x 11” framed, 2.5” x 6” each bill.
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Scott Massey One thousand four hundred and ninety two fifty two, 2011. Video, 3’ 58”.
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Carolyn Lambert Raw Material (installation and stills), 2011. Looping two channel video installation (4’); mdf board, pine, projectors, approx 8’ x 5’ x 3’.
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NURTUREart Non-Profit Inc. is a 501(c)(3)
New York State licensed, federally tax-exempt charitable art organization founded in 1997 by George J. Robinson. NURTUREart Non-Profit Inc. is dedicated to nurturing contemporary art by providing exhibition opportunities and resources for emerging artists, curators, and local public school students. The unique synergy between NURTUREart’s programs generates a collaborative environment for artistic experimentation. This framework, along with other far-reaching programming, cultivates a supportive artistic network and enriches the local and larger cultural communities. NURTUREart is funded in part by City Council Member Diana Reyna, City Council Member Stephen Levin, City Council Member Sara M. Gonzales, the Harold and Colene Brown Foundation, the Greenwich Collection, Ltd., the Joan Mitchell Foundation, the Laura B. Vogler Foundation, the Lily Auchincloss Foundation, the Milton and Sally Avery Arts Foundation, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, the New York City Department of Education, the New York State Council on the Arts, No More Poverty, The Puffin Foundation, Tekserve, Urban Outfitters, The Wolf Kahn and Emily Mason Foundation, and many generous individuals. NURTUREart is grateful for significant past support from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, The Liebovitz Foundation, and the Greenwall Foundation. NURTUREart receives legal support from Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts.
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NURTUREart Sponsors : City Council Member Sara Gonzales City Council Member Stephen Levin City Council Member Diana Reyna The Durst Family Foundation The Greenwich Collection, LTD The Joan Mitchell Foundation The Harold and Colene Brown Family Foundation The Laura B. Vogler Foundation Lily Auchincloss Foundation Milton and Sally Avery Arts Foundation New York City Department of Cultural Affairs New York City Department of Education New York State Council on the Arts No More Poverty The Puffin Foundation Urban Outfitters The Wolf Kahn and Emily Mason Foundation Many generous individuals Thank You : Brooklyn Brewery Societe Perrier Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts
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56 Bogart Street Brooklyn, NY 11206 L train to Morgan Avenue T 718 782 7755 F 718 569 2086 E gallery@nurtureart.org www.nurtureart.org Directions: By Subway: L train to the Morgan Avenue stop. Exit the station via Bogart Street. Look for the NURTUREart entrance on Bogart Street, close to the intersection with Harrison Place. By Car: Driving From Manhattan: Take the Williamsburg Bridge, stay in the outside lane, and take the Broadway / S. 5 St. exit. Turn left at light onto Havemeyer St. Turn right next light onto Borinquen Place, continue straight, street will change name to Grand Street. Turn right onto Bushwick Ave, left onto Johnson Ave, then right onto Bogart Street. Look for our entrance at the corner of Bogart Street and Harrison Place.