Rogues' Gallery
A 3rd FLOOR GALLERY POP-up EXHIBITION
BY Shannon Cronin and Derek Ayres
On View September 4 - September 18
About the exhibition:
The adage "Don't judge a book by its cover" applies here. Starting with old mugshots of Gilded Age criminals, Cronin and Ayres pull these thieves, forgers, pickpockets, swindlers, pennyweights, sneaks, and confidence men out of history and deposit them into alternate contexts. Dressed in petticoats, velvet collars, wool overcoats, bowler hats and vests, these figures of the underworld are almost indistinguishable to the modern eye from the bourgeoisie of their day. With our not knowing who they were or what they did, they appear benign and genteel, betraying little of their malevolent pasts. The distance of history makes it even more difficult to know who these people really were.
These books have covers that question the relationship between appearances, ulterior motives, and the perception of reality and truth.
Rogue’s Gallery will be on view in Gallery 3 at Da Vinci Art Alliance from September 4 - September 18.
ABOUT THE FEATURED ARTISTS:
Shannon Cronin lives and works in East Falls, Philadelphia, where she balances rigorous and rewarding practices in sustained silence, forest bathing, and noisy householding. In her work, Shannon seeks to create a space of quiet and stillness that invites contemplation and discovery of meaning at the visceral level. Her paintings explore and communicate the privacy, clarity, and complexity of interior life. She entered the current collaboration expecting to find the topic of criminality to be a departure from her typical investigations. But it turns out that family, identity, sexuality, expectations, roles, and renewal are themes that turn up even among the "wrong sort" of America's Gilded Age.
Derek Ayres (American, b. 1967) currently makes paintings that are conceived as psychological interiors, where architectural spaces are populated with layered depictions of 1970s domestic objects, pop culture, and art historical references. Throughout, Derek employs loose allegory and quasi-narratives, inviting viewers into a state reminiscent of ecstatic waking daydreams. Raised in suburban Texas and trained as a sculptor (MFA, Columbia University), he draws inspiration from a free-wheeling Gen-X childhood, evoking emotions and memories through familiar activities, objects, and brands from his youth. By delving into themes of ambition and freedom, he reconciles past experiences with the present realities of being a father, husband, and artist today. His work has been exhibited at venues including P.P.O.W., New York City; ZieherSmith, New York City; and Bridgette Mayer Gallery, Philadelphia, among others.