A tour of The Pittsburgh Left exhibition at SPACE Gallery as seen through the lens of photographer and exhibition artist Larry Rippel.
Organized by Pittsburgh-based artist Tom Sarver, The Pittsburgh Left opened at SPACE Gallery on August 26, 2022. The gallery is one of several spaces run by The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. The show features collections of work and installations by eleven artists. The show runs through October 23rd, 2022. More information on hours and programming can be found HERE.
Sarver discussed ideas for a Pittsburgh-themed show with the visual arts curator of The Cultural Trust in 2019. He was creating sketches and drawings of Pittsburgh on-location and wanted to assemble a group of artists for a show at SPACE. After a couple years of studio and gallery visits, a lineup was selected.
Kairotic Painting comes from the ancient Greek word kairos, which roughly translates to mean “the right time”. By referring to the works as “Kairotic Paintings”, I am stating my intention to improvise and embrace the presence of intangible forces as part of my creative process. – Ramon Riley
The details of the heavenly orbs atop the 16th Street
Bridge have always fascinated me. The winged horses,
the zodiac and mythological symbols tells us its creators
valued aesthetic beauty. I am in awe of both the form
and the function of this bridge. Some lives are forever
changed because a bridge was built and a bridge was
crossed. -Ramon Riley
Filmmaker Chris Ivey is presenting We Are Here- Finding Beauty In The Raw, a multichannel video installation of several interviews wrapped in an immersive environment. Ivey’s history of hands-on, investigative work (East of Liberty documentary series, Grenfell Tower/Arconic engagement works) reveals and confronts racism and injustice both in Pittsburgh and internationally.
Conceptual artist David Montano has been collecting Pittsburgh post cards for many years. Montano is interested in the people who hand-wrote messages to their loved ones. He created an installation in the window space alcove of the gallery.
Splitting time between Pittsburgh and Detroit, Dailey often reflects on each place from a distance. He draws inspiration from exploration in each and realizes his visions in a wide variety of artistic media including ceramics, printmaking, drawing and painting.
Kirsten Ervin is a Pittsburgh-based fiber artist and illustrator focused on building community and promoting joy.
In 2019, I began making drawings and sketches of Pittsburgh neighborhoods. I made the works on site, attempting to capture the people and activity of each place. I wanted to show the gritty places, the overgrown lots, the decay, but also a sense of humanity in representing the variety of places where people live and interact.
In developing The Pittsburgh Left, I’m interested in how other artists think about the city and how it has influenced their work. I chose artists at various stages of their careers. Some I’ve reached out to for the first time, and some I have worked with over the years. Within this mix, I hope for unexpected dialogue. I don’t expect a very harmonious arrangement, but a quirky one that challenges the viewer to look closely at each artist’s point of view. – Tom Sarver
All photographs Copyright, Larry Rippel, 2022. Artwork images are Copyright of exhibition artists. Thank you to The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.
Tom Sarver 