ZEPHYR GALLERY
PROJECT
11
this, this is for you January 29 – March 19, 2016
Stephen Irwin
“I live in myth and rumor,” said Stephen Irwin, followed by a deep, warm gregarious laugh and a toss of his wiry, red mane. “This is a hard wig to wear,” he would say about his infamous curly hair, which much to his chagrin, always made its way into a topic of conversation. A self-proclaimed city slicker from Vine Grove, Kentucky, Irwin moved to Louisville after graduating with a fine art degree from Murray State University. In 1990 he worked as a freelance designer and co-owned Sparks – a nightclub, art and event space at the corner of 1st and Main. An integral part of Louisville’s underground culture, Sparks was a safe haven for individuality and absolute freedom. For many, Sparks became a place of personal discovery: an adult playground built for guilt-free libidinal resplendence existing in total opposition to society. “We are all just dancing on the precipice of disaster,” Irwin would say with a nihilistic, yet prescient tone. Irwin used Sparks as a catalyst for his creativity. The walls at Sparks were considered canvases which was evident in the elaborate drawings and murals that changed monthly, sometimes weekly – always painted over with a coat of black. It was this process that interested Irwin the most – the ephemeral. Irwin viewed both his life and his art as short-lived and transitory. “We are only here for a short time and very little of what we make actually lasts,” said Irwin. His devotion to the ephemeral manifested itself in his Vessel Series (2008). Applying images directly to the gallery wall, the art became part of the architecture with the expectation the work would eventually be painted over – just like the art at Sparks – not visible but always there. Irwin’s collaborations with other artists at Sparks would prove to enlighten and offend – from cow hearts encased in velvet for Valentine’s Day – to medically accurate, large-scale drawings of genitalia adorning the walls for a spring fertility party – no subject was taboo. The heart, both anatomically and emotionally would continue to influence his work throughout his career. Due to a genetic heart condition, Irwin began to struggle with his own mortality, evident in the piece Love has X-ray Vision (2005). The 90’s as well as the AIDS movement would provide source materials for Irwin’s artwork. Art would imitate life with Love Parade, a 1996 photography compilation book about rave culture in Berlin in which Irwin altered the glossy pages with Wite-Out reducing the trendy colorful portrait shots to voided outlines. This first glimpse of Irwin’s erasure and subtraction
Stephen Irwin Circle Game 4, 2009, Altered vintage pornography abraded with steel wool, 11” x 8.5”
techniques coincided with his loss of close friends from the AIDS epidemic and Irwin consciously phasing himself out of the nightly operations of Sparks. Although the 90’s were pushing gay people out of the closet and into the mainstream, for many – especially older generations of gay men – this was still a topic that was not discussed. Irwin had a friend who had to clean up the ‘gay evidence’ of a family member who had passed away before the rest of the family was involved and in a panic, called Irwin and said, “What do I do with all of these porn magazines?” Irwin promptly offered his address and had them shipped to his house. In 1999 Irwin joined Zephyr Gallery, and turned his full attention to art and his studio practice. During this personal and professional shift, Irwin started to move from traditional draftsmanship to what he described as “an economy of means” using found materials in his work– plastic, resin, pop culture magazines, steel wool, and eventually his acquired vintage pornography collection. The fruition of these later techniques can be seen in both the 2009 Circle Games and Stroke pieces. Irwin’s studio was a fantasy world: strewn with porn, old photos, Sparks flyers, paper and random scribbles of thoughts and ideas written on whatever was readily available – napkins, notepads or business cards. A wall of windows provided beautiful, natural light that would sometimes be viewed like an interrogation lamp recalling what transpired the night before. Irwin preferred working in the wee hours of the night – Spark’s hours – to avoid interruption. An inspiration, friend and mentor to many artists in Louisville, Irwin was an unabashed bon vivant, living every day as if it were his last. For him, everything had meaning and anything could become art. Irwin’s Braille (2009) installations are a perfect example, made from fragments of steel wool sloughed off from earlier works, the metal fibers swept from the floor and reused. With his hands and discerning eye, a ruthless editor, he could extract wonder from the mundane. If you ever felt unprepared, Irwin taught you to relax and realize that everything you need is right here – exactly where you are at this time. Fortunately for all of us he left behind not just myths and rumors but …
this, this is for you -Stacy Thomas 2016
Artist Biography Stephen Irwin (1959-2010; b. in Vine Grove, KY) Irwin received his fine art degree from Murray State University, Murray
KY, and lived and worked in Louisville, KY. A former member of the Zephyr Gallery cooperative in Louisville, KY, he frequently exhibited at Zephyr while also participating in numerous group and solo exhibitions both nationally and internationally, including Skin, Galerie Stefan Ropke, Cologne, Germany (2011), Pornucopia, Allegra LaViola Gallery, New York, NY (2011), Paper, MAMAC Museum, Nice, France (2012), and You already Know How this Will End, r/e Projects, Madrid, Spain (2014). Most recently he was included in the 2015 group exhibitions After the Moment: Reflections on Robert Mapplethorpe, Cincinnati Contemporary Art Museum, Cincinnati, OH, and the exhibit Soft Core at INVISIBLE-EXPORTS in New York, NY. In 2016 his work will be shown in a solo exhibition at Casal Solleric in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. In 2014 the Stephen Irwin, Monograph, was published by r/e Projects, Madrid, he has also been featured in AEQAI Magazine: “Shapeshifter at Country Club” by Kathy Stockman, March (2010), and in The Villager, “Post-minimalism humor, vintage porn and subtle sculpture,” by Stephanie Buhmann, November (2011). Irwin’s work is also held in numerous private collections as well as the permanent collections of the Speed Art Museum and 21c Museum in Louisville, KY.
Curator Biographies Matthew and Mitchell Bradley (b. 1972 in Louisville, KY) are artists and identical twins. In the late 1990’s they gradu-
ated from Murray State University in Murray, KY with degrees in Fine Art. Returning to their hometown in 2000, they opened their first art space Museum 121 with partner and co-curator Mia Frederick. They have continued to curate exhibits at other venues and galleries such as “Summer Heat”, in 2011 with co-curator Joey Yates at Land Of Tomorrow Gallery in Lousville, KY and “Swimming Hole” in 2012 at the Kentucky Museum Of Art and Craft in Louisville, KY. Matthew has also worked as an art preparator for the Speed Art Museum and 21c Museum Hotels.Their artwork has been shown at Zephyr Gallery, Swanson Contemporary, Land of Tomorrow Gallery, The Quonset Hut, I.D.E.A.S. Gallery, The Speed Art Museum at Local Speed, the Kentucky Artisan Center in Berea, KY, and the Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft.
Exhibition Narrative Biography Stacy Thomas (b. 1972 in Louisville, KY) is a freelance writer and administrative assistant for Joseph’s Salon & Spa. In
2002 she graduated with a BA in Communication from the University of Louisville, Louisville, KY. She currently lives in Louisville and is a staff writer for Extol Magazine and Houzz.com.
Exhibition Checklist this, this is for you, 2008 Clear vinyl adhesive lettering on glass 4” x 48” Love Parade, 2006-2007 22:55 Friday - 4:53 Sunday, Berlin, 1996 Altered book pages from Love Parade, Wite-Out 11.5” x 9” each piece Unbearable Whiteness of Being (Wifebeater), 2006 Altered vintage pornography printed as vinyl wallpaper 46” x 22” Circle Game 16 Altered vintage pornography abraded with steel wool, 16 pages 11” x 8.5” each page 45” x 35” overall Circle Game 4, 2009 Altered vintage pornography abraded with steel wool, 4 pages 11” x 8.5” each piece 22” x 17” overall Circle Game 1: Sookie Du Monte, 2009 Altered vintage pornography abraded with steel wool 11” x 8.5” SI08 47, 2007 Unique pigment print on Hanhnemuhle 54” x 34” 3/3 Love has x-ray vision, 2005 Altered Irwin heart x-ray with found key 11” x 8.5” Lick 1, 2010 Altered vintage porn magazine page and epoxy resin 8.5” x 11” Lick 2, 2009 Altered vintage porn magazine page and epoxy resin 11” x 8.5” Big Lick, 2009 Altered vintage pornography magazine page and epoxy resin 6” x 8.5”
Doppleganger, 2004 Graphite and pigment on heat-treated plastic with piano wire 4” x 6” Grope, 2009 3 Altered vintage porn abraded with steel wool 25.5” x 11” psalm, 2007 Graphite, ink, resin on rives 40.25” x 29.25” Vessels, 2008 Ink on wall from porn magazine cut stencils abraded with steel wool Variable sizes You Already Know How This Will End, 2009 Shredded steel wool on embedded magnets 62” x 2.5” You Are Loved, 2010 Shredded steel wool on embedded magnets 2.25” x 23.5” Frieze, 2003 Magazine and resin 14.25” x 9.5” x 5.5” Art News, 2003 Magazine and resin 14.25” x 9.5” x 5.5” Series: 2008, 2009 Fingernail, Fist, Shaft, Frayed, Slit, Couple, Water, Lather, Crumpled Altered vintage porn magazine pages abraded with steel wool 11” x 8.5” Stroke 2, 2009 Altered vintage pornography, 36 pieces 11” x 8.5” each piece; 66 x 51” overall Choke Series, 2009 Altered vintage pornography abraded with steel wool 8.5” x 11” each piece Frame: Magnetized Body Parts, 2007 Altered vintage photography abraded with steel wool adhered to magnetic paper, magnetized wall paint Variable dimensions
Zephyr Gallery Artist Board
Patrick Donley Ken Hayden Peggy Sue Howard Chris Radtke Brenda Wirth
Artist Partners Matt Meers Robert Mitchell Joel Pinkerton Reba Rye
PROJECT 11: this, this is for you Matthew Bradley Mitchell Bradley Debra Lair Stacy Thomas Jessica Oberdick Robert Mitchell Chris Radtke Peggy Sue Howard Patrick Donley
Curator Curator Stephen Irwin Estate Executor Exhibition Narrative Project Manager Graphic Design Exhibition Co-Coordinator Exhibition Co-Coordinator Exhibition Preparator
Acknowledgements Exhibition Sponsors: BITTNERS With Special Thanks to: Debra Lair, Director of the Stephen Irwin Estate Justin Bond and Deven7 Melvin Brown Risa Needleman and Benjamin Tischer INVISIBLE-EXPORTS, New York, NY
Image Credits Front Cover: Stephen Irwin Unbearable Whiteness of Being (Wifebeater), 2006 Altered vintage pornography printed as vinyl wallpaper, 46” x 22”
The mission of Zephyr Gallery is to serve as a platform to incubate, advocate, and facilitate innovative ideas in art and artistic practices in the region. In 2014, Zephyr launched an ongoing Project series with curated proposal-based exhibitions as well as collaborations with universities, colleges, and cultural institutions. Project 11: this, this is for you is the eleventh exhibition in this series.
610 East Market Street | Louisville, KY 40202 www.zephyrgallery.org | Thursday–Saturday, 11–6