PETER DOBILL

ACTIONIST

NEWS

GROUP EXHIBITION - PERMANENT COLLECTION VOL. 1 @ ENGLISH KILLS ART GALLERY, BROOKLYN, NY - JAN. 16 - FEB. 7, 2010




January 13, 2010



I will have multiple works on display that have been collected by Phoenix Lights of English Kills Art Gallery.

The show opens Saturday, January 16, 2010 - 6-9pm.

LIVE ACTION - ASTRAL NAVIGATION, FRIDAY DECEMBER 18, 7pm - EXIT ART, NEW YORK, NY



December 13, 2009



I am presenting a new live action called Astral Navigation in conjunction with the Performance in Crisis series taking place this Friday Night, 7pm @ Exit Art in Manhattan.

INFO:

Performance in Crisis is a series of site-specific performative responses to the many crises in the global society from a particular view of the artists' aesthetic. Often it is a presentation of an extreme action. These “performances with a purpose” are a radical and profound look at the art of performance / actions. Exit Art is doing this project to make space for the urgent matters of our culture in crisis.
 
The upcoming solo retrospective exhibition by Guatemalan performance artist Regina José Galindo will be the inauguration of the Performance in Crisis program. These performances will happen over three months at Exit Art, using Galindo’s performance work as a point of departure. The performances will be documented with photography and video which will become part of the exhibition both in the gallery and on the web, creating a shifting installation each week over the three months. What begins as a solo exhibition will become a collective expression of performance in crisis; the Galindo presentation will merge with the works in Performance in Crisis and continue to evolve in the space until the program ends on December 19, 2009.
 
These performances / actions will examine our cultural condition and respond urgently to the monumental challenges we currently face, from health care reform to immigration laws, to the horror of war and the manipulation of banks, from the poisoning of the environment to the corruption in our government. Performance in Crisis confronts these issues, exposing them and encouraging further response.



Performance in Crisis conceived and curated by Papo Colo with Associate Curator Herb Tam.


Friday, December 18 / 7pm: Peter Dobill / Rob Andrews

Exit Art: www.exitart.org

Directions:
Getting to Exit Art

Directions
Exit Art is located at 475 10th Avenue at the corner of 36th Street, 1 block east of the Javits Center. Exit Art is located near midtown, within walking distance of Chelsea, Broadway and the Hudson River.

  Subway: #A,C,E trains to 34th St./Penn Station at 8th Avenue. Walk 2 blocks west to 10th Ave and 2 blocks north to 36th St. or #1,2,3,7,9.A.C.E trains to 42nd St./Times Square Station at 8th Avenue.

Bus: 34th Street Bus (M34) crosstown to 10th Ave. Walk 2 blocks north to 36th St. or #11 Bus up 10th Ave to 37th St. or down 9th Ave to 36th St.

MAXIMUM PERCEPTION PERFORMANCE FESTIVAL - DECEMBER 11-12, 2009, ENGLISH KILLS ART GALLERY, BROOKLYN, NY - CURATED BY PETER DOBILL + PHOENIX LIGHTS






MAXIMUM PERCEPTION PERFORMANCE FESTIVAL
December 11th – December 12th, 2009
Curators: Peter Dobill + Phoenix Lights

English Kills Art Gallery
114 Forrest St.   
Brooklyn, NY 11206

www.englishkillsartgallery.com

Performances Nightly: 7pm-12am

English Kills Art Gallery is pleased to present the inaugural Maximum Perception Performance Festival, December 11-12, 2009 at English Kills Art Gallery in Brooklyn, NY.

Over 2 nights, the Maximum Perception Performance Festival will be a showcase for over 20 national and international performance artists, focusing on presenting a dynamic range of contemporary performance practice from the best emerging artists in performance.

Curators Peter Dobill and Phoenix Lights seek to present a counterpoint to the fiscally bloated, dilettante-based spectacle that has consumed the image of performance art in New York City. The Maximum Perception Performance Festival will feature newly commissioned performance works in addition to site-specific actions and ongoing projects from all participating artists.

Established as a critically acclaimed exhibition in 2008 to survey the Brooklyn performance art scene, the Maximum Perception Performance Festival has evolved to become a yearly showcase for the forefront of performance art practice in New York City and beyond.

Participating artists include: Rob Andrews, Leah Aron + Tymon Mattoszko, Matthew Blair, Ryan Brown, Holly Faurot + Sarah H. Paulson, Danielle Freakley/The Quote Generator, Philip Fryer, Nate Hill, Erik Hokanson, Andrew Hurst, Naoki Iwakawa, Amery Kessler, Marni Kotak, Jodie Lyn Kee Chow + Zachary Fabri, Jill McDermid,
Sandrine Schaefer, Rosabelle Selavy, Mark Stafford, Lech Szporer, Matt White, and Jen Zak.

For a full schedule please visit the Festival website:

www.maximumperceptionperformance.com




Group Exhibition - FORTRESS TO SOLITUDE : THE PORTRAIT SHOW @ BETA SPACES, BROOKLYN, NY -November 6 - November 8, 2009



November 3, 2009



My video of BLOODBREATHER will be included in FORTRESS TO SOLITUDE : THE PORTRAIT SHOW, opening this Friday Night, November 6th, 6-10pm.

Details:





Website:

http://www.fortresstosolitude.com/

Group Exhibition - ABCYZ.ORG @ SILVERSHED, NEW YORK, NY - October 23 - October 25, 2009



October 20, 2009



I will have a video in the exhibition ABCYZ.ORG @ SILVERSHED as part of English Kills Art Gallery's participating group of artists, Opening Friday October 23 - 8-11pm.

INFO:

ABCyz.org Launches Exhibition of New York Art Collectives
October 23 - October 25, 2009
Opening Reception: Friday, October 23, 8:00-11:00pm
Silvershed, 119 West 25th Street, PH, New York, NY 10001

Including: AptShow, Art Social Club, BHQFU, Boffo, BQE Eyelevel,
Brooklyn is Burning, C_M_L, Cleopatra's, Daily Operation, DecadesOut,
English Kills Art Gallery, Forté, HKJB,  Kunstverein NY, Petrus Projects,
The Metric System, SaintCecilia’s, Silvershed, Smartspaces, Submerged Art, Temporary
States, Triple Canopy, The Underground Library, Whitney’s Biennial and
YES.

ABCyz is a collaborative art exhibition of NYC-based critical contemporary art collectives,
curatorial groups and art publishers formed over the past five years.

As an organization of collectives, ABCyz.org is launching a three-day
“group show of group shows” from October 23rd through October 25th
that will exhibit art works, posters, publications, screenings and
performances from over 30 groups of artists, curators and publishers.

“ABC” is shorthand for participating types of groups: (A) artist-run
spaces and projects, (B) new curatorial initiatives and not-for-profit
art groups and (C) other collectives that will add their projects via
a web forum, in an open-source spirit of DIY production and dynamic
improvisation.

ABCyz is free and open to the public October 24th and 25th, from
1:00-7:00pm, at Silvershed, a not-for-profit artist-run project space.
A portion of the show is open by appointment until November 7th.

Hours:
Opening Reception (RSVP requested): Friday, October 23, 2009, 8:00-11:00 pm
Open to the Public: Saturday October 24 and Sunday October 25, 2009,
1:00-7:00 pm

Event Location:
Silvershed, 119 West 25th Street, PH, New York, NY 10001 (between 6th
and 7th Avenues) Silvershed is an artist-run indoor-outdoor project
space in New York.  Silvershed explores issues of 21st century
consciousness by inviting artists to curate and organize exhibitions,
moderated artist talks and film screenings.  ABCyz.org is the third
project of Silvershed.  Silvershed is a sponsored project of Fractured
Atlas, a nonprofit arts service organization. 

See
www.thesilvershed.org


10th ANNUAL OPEN ART PERFORMANCE FESTIVAL - BEIJING, CHINA



September 1, 2009


I will be participating in the upcoming 10th ANNUAL OPEN ART PERFORMANCE FESTIVAL - BEIJING, CHINA at the Open Realization Contemporary Art Center.

More Info:

 The 10th Open International Performance Art Festival will invite about 400 performance artists to participate the world largest performance art festival in Beijing from 5th Aug 2009 to 27th Sep 2009

Open Realization Contemporary Art Center—the first workshop in QiXing Middle street.

Contact:
010-59789151 010-59789152 13240420070  Miss Ge
www.open10.com  
www.openart.org.cn
openart@vip.163.com              
openart@126.com

DETROIT SOLO PERFORMANCE @ THE LOT: PERFORMANCE ART WEEKEND July 25/26, 2009



July 9, 2009

THE LOT:
PERFORMANCE ART WEEKEND
July 25/26, 2009
THE LOT 3013 Cochrane, North Corktown, Detroit, MI, USA
http://thelotdetroit.blogspot.com

The Lot* is pleased to announce a weekend of Performance Art from two powerful artists: Jamie Easter (Detroit) and Peter Dobill (NYC).

Sunday, July 26 -     3pm - ???-----not for the faint of heart



Peter Dobill is a force. He is a prolific artist and curator in NYC, and is the recent recipient of the prestigious 2009 Franklin Furnace Fund For Performance Art Grant.  His work focuses primarily on actions of the body, while the visual environments he creates to house these performances allow the viewer a glimpse into another world.  The overall effect is one of a spell.  His performances are intense physical experiences that address pain and endurance.  Dobill writes; “With my body, I alter and construct my vessel of experience, intrinsically connecting and emptying myself to a singular moment and time. Within these moments, I can then seek to communicate, focusing on energy exchanged between the audience and myself.”   

*The Lot is an open space in North Corktown, Detroit. A venue for art, creative thinking, and performance, the Lot is a curatorial project designed to challenge the way we think about viewing and making art in the context of community by highlighting the value and joy of experimentation. The Lot is committed to presenting a diversity of local, national, and international artists, and both emerging and established artists.
 

      JULY 25/26: PERFORMANCE ART WEEKEND----AUGUST 8: 3-D & INFLATED PAINTINGS
AUGUST 14: LIVE VIDEO & MUSIC----SEPTEMBER 5: SITE SPECIFIC SCULPTURE

AB UNO - SOLO EXHIBITION W/ "RECEIVER" - FRANKLIN FURANCE PERFORMANCE - MAY 9 - MAY 31, 2009 - ENGLISH KILLS ART GALLERY, BROOKLYN, NY





April 22, 2009



Peter Dobill – AB UNO

May 9 – May 31, 2009

English Kills Art Gallery
114 Forrest St., Ground Floor
Brooklyn, NY 11206
Sat/Sun – 1-7pm
info@englishkillsartgallery.com
www.englishkillsartgallery.com

Opening Reception Saturday, May 9 – 6-9pm
Featuring the live action-installation: Receiver

Closing Reception: Saturday, May 30 – 6-9pm
Featuring the Live Action: The Circle and The Point

English Kills Art Gallery is proud to present Peter Dobill: AB UNO, the artist’s first New York solo exhibition, presenting a comprehensive overview of his practice of endurance actions.

Dividing the gallery between live actions over a four-week period and a video overview of his past five years of performance work, AB UNO surveys Dobill’s explorations into the mental and physical limits of his body, focusing on energy exchange between artist and audience.

The centerpiece of the exhibition is Receiver, the 2008-2009 Franklin Furnace Fund for Performance Art Grant commissioned action-installation. The most ambitious action-installation attempted yet by Dobill, Receiver will find the artist situated in a hermetic energy space, immersed in a milk pool as milk simultaneously drops from the ceiling into his nose, challenging his only means of breathing.
----
Performance Schedule:

RECEIVER*
Saturday, May 9 – 6pm
(Installation and video of the action will remain on view until May 17)

BLACK TO LIGHT
Saturday, May 23 – 1pm

THE CIRCLE AND THE POINT
Saturday, May 30 – 6pm

(Please note: all times are starting times - endings of all pieces vary in accordance with the endurance of the artist)

*Receiver is made possible, in part, by the Franklin Furnace Fund, supported by Jerome Foundation and the Starry Night Fund of Tides Foundation. 

SANS TETE - FRIDAY, MARCH 20 2009 - 7-9PM, GRACE EXHIBITION SPACE, BROOKLYN, NY



March 16, 2009



I am presenting a new action-installation this Friday night @ Grace Exhibition Space in Brooklyn:

Sans Tête

Featuring the Tête Astrale Guitarkestra - (Sir Ryan Dobran + Sir Amery Kessler)

Action - Installation
Friday, March 20 - 7-10pm

Grace Exhibition Space
840 Broadway, 2nd Floor
Brooklyn, NY 11206

646-578-3402
info@graceexhibtionspace.com
www.grace-exhibition-space.com

2008 - 2009 FRANKLIN FURNACE FUND FOR PERFORMANCE ART GRANT



January 20, 2009



I am pleased to announce that I have been awarded the 2008 - 2009 Franklin Furnace Fund for Performance Art Grant.

From the Franklin Furnace Website:

FUNDWINNERS 2008

For twenty years, Franklin Furnace Fund for Performance Art awards have been given to emerging performance artists to allow them to do major work in New York. Events are presented in partnership with collegial venues, or, in the case of site-specific collaborative groups, in the city environment. This season, Franklin Furnace received 465 applications.

Franklin Furnace Fund for Performance Art 2008-09 grant recipients are:

Danielle Abrams (Ann Arbor, Michigan)
Katherine Behar
(New York, New York)
Jibz Cameron
(Brooklyn, New York)
Peter Dobill
(Brooklyn, New York)
Shelly Mars
(New York, New York)
Amapola Prada Mendoza
(Lima, Peru)
Elaine Tin Nyo
(New York, New York)
Yoonhye Park
(New York, New York)
Edward Purver
(Brooklyn, New York)
Saya Woolfalk
(Scarsdale, New York)
Maria Yoon
(New York, New York)


Information will soon follow on the presentation of the grant funded performance.

BOSTON PERFORMANCE ARTISTS @ GRACE EXHIBITION SPACE / BROOKYLN, NY



SEPTEMBER 18, 2008



I WILL BE CURATING A SPECIAL NIGHT OF PERFORMANCE ART AT GRACE EXHIBITION SPACE IN BROOKLYN, NY  -

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 20 @ 8PM.

INFO:

“Cat-and-Mouse”
Sandrine Schaefer & Philip Fryer

September 20th, 8 pm

GRACE EXHIBITION SPACE
840 BROADWAY, 2ND FLOOR
BROOKLYN, NY 11206

Curated By: Peter Dobill


“Cat-and-Mouse” will showcase the individual performance works of
Boston-based artists and curators, Sandrine Schaefer & Philip Fryer.

The work of Sandrine Schaefer confronts the infinite perceptions of speciesism by responding to the perversion involved in America’s meat and dairy industries. Her work explores cycles of the visible becoming invisible to discover ways to inspire forward movement. Working in various time-based media, Sandrine is inspired by concepts of accumulation, absurdity, site-sensitivity and actions of transport.   Most currently, Sandrine is exploring universal language as a way to unlock the secrets of the universe.

Philip Fryer’s work deals with concepts of mortality, pop culture, the paranormal, and fragility. He typically uses simple objects and minimal actions.  Zip ties, bubble wrap and white t-shirts are re-occurring and familiar objects Fryer utilizes. Deliberate compositions with the conventional create a myriad of personal, communal and historic meaning in Fryer’s work. 

Schaefer & Fryer have shown their performance art, video, installation, and film in Germany, Belarus, The Philippines, Canada, and across the United States.  Their shared belief in access through art has led them to create multiple collaborative works including the conception of The Present Tense, a Boston-based performance art initiative.  Through The Present Tense, Schaefer and Fryer have organized multiple art festivals and artist exchanges that have given over 80 artists from all over the world an opportunity to share their work.  Most currently, The Present Tense is in the process of building a comprehensive and evolving web-archive that will document contemporary time-based media.  


www.gracespace.multiply.com
www.thepresenttense.testperformance.com
www.sandrineschaefer.com
www.philipfryer.com
www.peterdobillactionist.com

MAXIMUM PERCEPTION: CONTEMPORAY BROOKLYN PERFORMANCE @ ENGLIGH KILLS ART GALLERY, BROOKLYN, NY





August 8, 2008



MAXIMUM PERCEPTION :
CONTEMPORARY BROOKLYN PERFORMANCE

AUGUST 16th – SEPTEMBER 7th, 2008

CURATORS: PETER DOBILL + CHRIS HARDING

OPENING RECEPTION: SATURDAY, AUGUST 16th,      5-9 PM

CLOSING RECEPTION: SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 7th, 5-9PM w/ BBQ.


ENGLISH KILLS ART GALLERY
114 FORREST ST.
BROOKLYN, NY 11206
GALLERY HOURS : SAT/SUN– 1-9PM

WWW.MAXIMUMPERCEPTIONPERFORMANCE.COM

MAXIMUM PERCEPTION: CONTEMPORARY BROOKLYN PERFORMANCE

IS THE FIRST EXHIBITION TO COVER THE ENTIRE RANGE OF CONTEMPORARY LIVE ART PRODUCED IN BROOKLYN.

FEATURING 30 ARTISTS PRODUCING OVER 20 NEWLY COMMISSIONED PERFORMANCES, THIS EXHIBITION THOROUGHLY SEEKS TO OPEN AND EXPLORE THE CRUCIAL DIALOGUE PRODUCED BY THESE ARTISTS WITHIN BROOKLYN AND ITS ARTISTIC COMMUNITY.

IN ADDITION TO FEATURING TRADITIONAL PHOTO AND VIDEO DOCUMENTATION, THE EXHIBITION SEEKS FOR THE FIRST TIME TO CREATE AN ENTIRELY LIVE ENVIRONMENT FOR EXPRESSION: AT ALL OPEN GALLERY HOURS AT LEAST ONE PERFORMANCE WILL BE TAKING PLACE WITHIN THE GALLERY. WITHIN THIS GOAL, BOTH CURATORS DOBILL AND HARDING ASPIRE TO SUBSTANTIATE AND ELEVATE THE “LIVE” ASPECT OF THE PERFORMANCE ARTISTS’ PRACTICE BEYOND THE REALM OF “OPENING RECEPTION” AND “SPECIAL EVENT” CATEGORIES TO THE ACTUALITY OF AN AVAILABLE EXPERIENCE IN A GALLERY SETTING.

PARTICIPATING ARTISTS: AMBERT ALERT, ROB ANDREWS, ELAINE ANGELOPOULOS, LYDIA BELL, MATTHEW BLAIR, RYAN BROWN, IAN CAMPBELL, ALEX CHECHILE, ANDREA COTE, PETER DOBILL, HOLLY FAUROT + SARAH H. PAULSON, XIMENA GARNICA + SHIGE MORIYA, ANDREW HURST, NAOKI IWAKAWA, AMERY KESSLER, MARNI KOTAK, SUJIN LEE, EVELYN LEWIS, MELISSA LOCKWOOD, JILL MCDERMID, THE MERCURY TWINS (EMCEE C.M., MASTER OF NONE AND HUONG NGO) WITH THE K.I.D.S., MARISSA MICKELBERG, JEREMY SLATER, MARK STAFFORD, LECH SZPORER, MATT WHITE, AND JEN ZAK.

LIVE PERFORMANCE @ CONTAMINATE 3 PERFORMANCE FESTIVAL, BOSTON, MA




March 24, 2008





On Saturday, April 5,  I will be participating in the Contaminate 3 Live Performance Festival in Boston, MA, presenting a new performance/installation work.  Doors open at 7pm with performances beginning soon after.
----------------------

INFO:

TEST and The Present Tense, two Boston based performance art organizations, team up again to produce the third annual Festival of Performance Art, Contaminate 3 on view April 4th and 5th, 2008. The performance art exhibition will showcase 17 works of performance, sound, video and installation art by local and visiting international artists. The live performance pieces will push the contextual meaning of the object in action beyond the boundaries of routine.

The Midway Studios are located at 15 Channel Center Street in Boston’s Fort Point. The live art work will be presented the First Friday and Saturday of April, with a different line up each night. Doors open at 7pm. The video works will be screened at the same location through out both nights. The Midway Studios Building is MBTA accessible via the Red line at South Station.



http://contaminate-festival.testperformance.org

LIVE PERFORMANCE @ NURTURE ART, BROOKLYN, NY

December 7, 2007



"SWEATACTION"

Live Performance, This Friday December 14 @ 7pm at Nurture Art Gallery, Brooklyn, NY

Coinciding with the Bodies Of/At Work exhibition at Nurture Art, I will be premiering a brand new endurance performance/installation.

BODIES OF/AT WORK @ NURTURE ART, BROOKLYN, NY

November 5, 2007



"BODIES OF/AT WORK"

NEW EXHIBITION AT NURTURE ART GALLERY, BROOKLYN, NY

OPENING RECEPTION THIS FRIDAY,  NOVEMBER 9th 7-9PM

Curated by Brian Balderston. Featured artists in the exhibition include: Hilary Basing, Nell Breyer, Andrea Cote, Peter Dobill, Holly Faurot and Sarah H. Paulson, Joshua Eggleton, Marshall Marice and Jose Ruiz.

A man explains the triumph of conceptual art over craftsmanship to a stuffed octopus, another inexplicably flies through the door of his suburban garage, and another dances with his projected alter ego to ward off loneliness. Add to this spectacle aerobics videos, sand-swallowers, discombobulating camera tricks and trained dancers, and you have Bodies of/at Work. An exhibition of both new and old media, performance, and self-redefining ideas, curator Brian Balderston highlights the work of nine emerging artists who move beyond generic body-politics to find new, personal statements of the self. Here, the artists are no longer preoccupied with classical concerns of depictive figuration. Rather, they transform living, breathing bodies literally and metaphorically into sites and tools of art making by addressing elements of self-portraiture, performance, identity politics and location in time and space, which in turn, redefines the contemporary, conceptual understanding of the self.

Hilary Basing has created a body of work based on the cross-pollination of personal and appropriated performance footage by triple exposing film to create overlapped stills combining herself with old aerobics videos. This presents a continuous, uncut filmstrip that depicts a fragmented choreography between the artist and her unwitting collaborators.

Wonderland, Nell Breyer's interactive video installation, alternately utilizes pre-recorded and real-time footage of the artist and the viewer to create a sense of physical fragmentation and dislocation.

Andrea Cote's practice often revolves around the concept of full self-exposure under the guise of mediated anonymity. Her physical presence is always experienced, front and center, while her identity is simultaneously obscured through self-imposed parameters.

Peter Dobill's performances stride the line between corporeal stamina and the vigor of his psyche. By creating aestheticized rituals that channel the mind and challenge the body of the artist, as well as the physical comfort of the viewer, Dobill engages in contemporized shamanistic pursuits that evoke equal parts sadomasochistic intent and the search for spiritual purity.

The drawings that Josh Eggleton produces would seem to fit neatly within the traditional realm of self-portraiture. However, concocting his various scenarios, Eggleton engages in a series of performances for the camera that allows him to distill his own image into a composite gesture, which is then intricately rendered in graphite.

Holly Faurot and Sarah H. Paulson's collaborative current body of work, referred to as Surveillance System(s), exists at the confluence of performance and dance, and is invariably mediated by networks of concurrent and pre-recorded cues that set the stage for a dynamic, if at times dysfunctional, redefining of contemporary communication.

Marshall Marice's photographic images present physics-defying juxtapositions of figure and ground/ environment, creating a genuine quandary of perspective. By prominently displaying the disconnect between possibility and reality, Marshall's recorded actions reside somewhere between the stunt and the sublime.

The work of Jose Ruiz incorporates himself into a variety of photo and video-based performance scenarios that often present him as complicit actor rather than explicit artist. In his video piece How to Fight Loneliness he engages in a dreamlike, delirium dance with his virtually conjoined alter ego.

Bodies of/at Work is NURTUREart Emerging Curators' Program Collaboration. Learn more about all NURTUREart's programs and opportunities for emerging artists and curators at www.nurtureart.org.

Video action "INHALER" is featured in the exhibition.

FALL RESIDENCY @ OX BOW, SAGATAUK, MI

September 10, 2007


I have been selected as part of Ox-Bow Artist in Residency Program in Saugatuck, Michigan for this fall.

For those interested: http://www.ox-bow.org

PERFORMANCE INSTALLATION @ BUSHWICK OPEN STUDIOS GROUP SHOW, ENGLISH KILLS ART GALLERY, BROOKLYN, NY



May 17, 2007


- ABSOLVOR -
3 Day Endurance Performance Installation
June 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 2007 / 1-9pm Daily

Bushwick Open Studios Weekend

English Kills Art Gallery
114 Forest St., 1st Fl.
Brooklyn, NY 11206


Peter Dobill, in association with English Kills Art Gallery, is thrilled to present a new 3 day performance installation entitled "Absolvor," taking place on June 1, 2 and 3rd to coincide with the Bushwick Open Studios Weekend in Brooklyn. The performances will last each day for 8 hours, taking place daily from 1-9pm.

"Absolvor," is a site-specific installation composed specifically for English Kills Art Gallery. Suspended in air on the backs of hands and pinned by spears jutting out from the ceiling, actionist Peter Dobill's physical and mental capacities will be brought to his limits, tied down by hooks in a self made environment of pikes, nails, hearts and branches. This will be the first multi day action attempted by the artist.

Dobill describes the work as being an "extension of my concern within the body's capacity for transformation, allowing for energy to communicate between himself and the audience. " "Within this, I would hope that it produces an experience of communication much like witnessing the peeling away of shards of light from one's psyche."

Born in New Zealand, Dobill is an emerging Brooklyn based artist who has performed actions across the country. Incorporating physical endurance within his work, the focus is on the body in actions, seeking communication within physical and mental limits.

"Absolvor" is just one of many works in English Kills Art Gallery's cluster-fuck of a show featuring a dozen Bushwick artists across all media. The "Brooklyn Open Studio Festival Show" runs from June 1 - July 1, 2007.

English Kills Art Gallery is the newest art space to open in the Bushwick Neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY. Headed by Director/Curator Christopher Harding, English Kills Art Gallery focuses on representing Brooklyn artists in all media, seeking to engage conceptual, visual and political concerns through engagement, interaction and collaboration.

English Kills Art Gallery is located at 114 Forrest Street,1st Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11206.

Directions: "L" Train to Morgan Ave. Stop, Exit onto Morgan Ave., Head South to Flushing Ave., Merge Right onto Forrest St.

More Information:

English Kills Art Gallery:                   

www.englishkillsartgallery.com
info@englishkillsartgallery.com

LIVE PERFORMANCE @ PRESSURE + MOVEMENT + LIGHT @ GRACE EXHIBTION SPACE, BROOKLYN, NY



MARCH 12, 2007


PRESSURE+MOVEMENT+LIGHT: An Evening of Performances Presented by: Grace Exhibition Space, and CAVE Curated by: Drew Ford

Artists: Peter Dobill, Naoki Iwakawa & Shige Moriya

Performance date: Saturday, March 24, 2007 - 7:30pm-10:30pm

Performance schedule: Peter Dobill 8:00pm-8:30pm Naoki Iwakawa (music by Tim Wright) 8:45pm-9:15pm Shige Moriya (music by Blake Fleming, Petre Radu Scafaru, Ninni Morgia) 9:30-10:00pm

Grace Exhibition Space 840 Broadway, 2nd Floor Brooklyn, New York 11206 (718) 594-0642 www.gracespace.multiply.com

Grace Exhibition Space and CAVE, presents PRESSURE+MOVEMENT+LIGHT= three individual performance pieces in one exciting evening of live art.

.

PRESSURE+MOVEMENT+LIGHT alludes to the key aspects of each of these three unique performer’s artworks. These three words are connected, as the artists are connected through the use of performance as their chosen vehicle for visual, auditory and physical communication. This title, however, should be seen as an unanswered equation, to be comprehended by the viewers as they bear witness to the performances.

These artists have all, at one time or another, found a home at CAVE. For years, CAVE has operated as one of the premiere gallery/performance spaces in Brooklyn, functioning as a gallery in Williamsburg. Currently, CAVE is gearing up for the production of the biennial New York Butoh Festival, the physical space itself currently used as a rental studio, with few in-site events open to the public. However, CAVE artists continue to perform in a myriad of other venues, in New York and also internationally. The artists, and CAVE, are pleased to collaborate with the newly formed Grace Exhibition Space, in this upcoming evening of performances.

ARTIST BIOS: Born in New Zealand, Peter Dobill is an emerging Brooklyn based artist who has performed across the country. Incorporating physical endurance within his work, the focus is on the body in action, seeking communication within physical and mental limits. Dobill will present a new “endurance” piece, where he will once again test the human body’s strength while at the same time laying bare it’s inescapable fragility.

Hailing from Japan, Naoki Iwakawa is a painter who uses movement and intense action in his work. His unique style of live action painting incorporates elements from earlier action painters, possessing a dimension of physicality rarely seen, at times throwing his entire body against the paint-covered canvases. He collaborates with musicians and movement artists, adding even more layers to an already complex and engaging performance style.

Shige Moriya, originally from Japan, works as a live video-based performance artist. His projections are sculptural images made from the movements of light in the interactions with darkness. In all of Moriya’s art, he communicates a message of deep spirituality and the yearning to return to nature, searching for beauty and substance amidst the light and shadows he explores. Mesmerizing natural images seamlessly reflect onto the movements of water and cascade across the room, creating a total atmosphere of luminous depth and subtlety.

Grace Exhibition Space, co-directed by Jill McDermid and Melissa Lockwood, is a newly established creative arts space, whose mission is to make possible the exhibition of live performance art + sound, video, installation & film - for local artists and from around the world.

DIRECTIONS TO GRACE EXHIBITION SPACE: Flushing Avenue Stop on J-M-Z Train Walk 3 blocks East on Broadway (away from Manhattan) GRACE Space is on the right side (btwn. Ellery St.& Park Ave.) 840 Broadway, 2nd Floor (left of liquor store) Ring top buzzer. The train tracks will be over head.

Founded in 1996, CAVE is one of the longest running experimental art spaces in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. CAVE is a not-for-profit 501c-3 organization that provides resident workspace, studio workspace, educational workshops, exhibition and performance opportunities, and assistance in the realization of projects that support risk-taking in the visual, media, and performing arts. Its mission is to establish an environment that attracts, provokes, and supports exchange, generative confrontation, and collaboration among artists and audiences of diverse cultures and artistic backgrounds. CAVE is co-directed by video artist & curator, Shige Moriya, and theater & dance director/performer, Ximena Garnica.

Primary programs include: (1) CAVE gallery, an art exhibition series (2) CAVE residences, workspace for local and international artists (3) CAVE AcTS, performance/workshop series (4) CAVE New York Butoh Festival (5) CAVE studio, a rental dance studio facility open to the public (6) CAVE productions, special projects, productions and commissions. CAVE Organization Inc. 58 Grand Street Brooklyn, NY 11211 T/F (718) 388-6780 www.CAVEartspace.org