Baltimore City Paper Review - Adorn Identity: Group Show Cursorily Examines Who We Are by Kate Noonan

Karen Swenholdt's sculpture

Baltimore City Paper
August 13, 2008

Summer Group Show at Gallery Imperato

Gallery Imperato's current Summer Group Show showcases a smart collection of works by artists Elyce Abrams, Sasha Blanton, Chris Bathgate, Alyssa Dennis, Matthew Kern, Cara Ober, Dana Reifler Amato, and Karen Swenholt. The exhibition's thoughtful installation allows a natural interplay between the pieces, many of which, one way or another, touch on the concepts of psychology, time, memory, and identity.

Placed in the front of the gallery is a grouping of three small-scale sculptures by Baltimore-based artist Chris Bathgate. The metal sculptures, which might better be described as mechanisms, are pieced together out of aluminum, brass, stainless steel, and copper and titled with model numbers--e.g., "FL633322251552." Astonishingly, the works are constructed entirely by hand but completely devoid of the human touch, which imparts upon them a mysterious, almost alien feel. Although they possess a certain Martian appeal, Bathgate's sculptures are also slightly menacing, given their remarkably precise construction and unclear purpose, and thus elicit a cautious fascination.

Dana Reifler Amato, a local artist and co-owner of Paperwork Gallery, displays her own adept hand with a group of three precise cut-paper works. Despite their fragile construction, "Untitled I" and "Untiled II," in particular, possess an architectural blueprint-like quality. The exacting, almost mathematical approach to Reifler Amato's pieces walks the thin line between fine art and design, and her works exist dually as paper abstractions and scientific plans. Alyssa Dennis' drawings also relate to architectural structures but, unlike Reifler Amato's works, address the ways in which the use of color in print and electronic media evokes associations with particular decades throughout recent history. By replicating these colors and removing them from their historical contexts, Dennis seeks to alter their meanings.

Matthew Kern's striking mixed-media piece "Internal Tatooing" examines the concept of memory with a personal yet universal series of Polaroid pictures. Each of the 140 snapshots captures fleeting, often ambiguous moments in time on Polaroid film. The ephemeral photos, which have been removed from their white casings, are layered upon the canvas, washed over with a milky varnish, and covered with an image of a child running with a handful of balloons. Peeking out from underneath the photographs, you can faintly detect handwritten letters, but the words themselves are illegible. Here Kern not only expresses the fragility of memory but also asserts the important role emotion plays within its retention. While you clearly can no longer make out the details of the moments encapsulated in the canvas' grids, the emotions tied to the memories remain.

Cara Ober continues to challenge cultural conceptions in her two pieces on view. "Nothing's Gonna Touch You in These Golden Years" is a collection of 56 small works on paper arranged in a grid, echoing Kern's nearby canvases. "Nothing's Gonna Touch You" employs Ober's trademark blending of witty text (resulting from her collaboration with Andy Fox) and carefully chosen iconography appropriated from the everyday world. The works range from poetic to humorous, as in her gilded hot dog graced with the text "Debonair with rage." In looking at the American cultural identity, Ober experiments with high- and lowbrow in terms of title (taken from a David Bowie song), subject matter, and materials. Joining images of everyday objects such as food and clothing, you see pop icons Audrey Hepburn and Woody Allen, and spiritual and social leaders, all of which are rendered in a mixture of gold leaf, magic marker, black ink, and tea.

Drawing cues from Ober's examinations of American cultural identity are Sasha Blanton's pair of defeated warships, "Disengaged I" and "Disengaged II." Together, they are innovatively installed, held up by two clips hanging from fishing wire that extends from the ceiling. The unframed works on paper float in front of an exposed brick wall, where they are susceptible to damage by an intentionally malicious act or accidental bump. The placement of the warships in such a precarious position makes Blanton's pieces particularly moving, and the titles not only reference the sinking status of the embattled ships but also perhaps point to cultural and social weaknesses as a whole and offer a cautionary tale: Things that appear invincible may actually be more vulnerable than imagined.

- Kate Noonan

Interview with the DCist March 31

March 31: DCist Interview: Cara Ober at http://dcist.com/2008/03/31/dcist_interview_23.php

Cara Ober is a painter, writer and teacher living in Baltimore and showing her work around the region. She teaches at the Maryland Institute College of Art, Towson, Johns Hopkins, and Loyola College. A lifetime area resident, Cara, 33, also writes art reviews for Art US Magazine, Art Papers, and Gutter Magazine. Her latest show, I Am Who I Pretend to Be, runs at Randall Scott Gallery through April 12.

What are some of the ideas and themes that your work engages with?

I am a storyteller, but my paintings have more in common with poetry than traditional narratives or prose. The stories I tell are mostly autobiographical and personal – my “material” is what I know, what I experience, and what I learn on a daily basis. Painting is a mode of thinking for me. It is a way for me to examine the fragments of memories and moments and to combine them in a way that is more interesting and, possibly, more real, than the way they were originally experienced.

The theme of memory in art seems really played out right now – a cliché – and, often times, I think an artist’s memories are so tender and so poignant that they interfere with the editing required for solid visual work. I think a lot of art about this subject – memory, consciousness, the unconscious – is half-assed.

However, I’m at a point where I know what I am interested in and there’s no getting around it. I can’t invent a concept and manufacture excitement about it. In graduate school, I attempted to be more “conceptual” in my studio practice and it always felt artificial and flat. I am interested in exploring the mystery of the personal self; the interior life lived in the brain, and, specifically, mine.



Well Meaning, Cara Ober
38x40"
Painting on canvas

Who are some of your artistic inspirations?

I think Louise Bourgeois is about as great as they get. She makes powerful works, which are simultaneously personal and universal, still and she’s in her nineties... About two years ago, the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore showcased Bourgeois’s works, in which over half were made in the last decade, but integrated it throughout the museum. So there would be a six hundred year old suit of armor next to a Bourgeois felt figure, an ancient Sumerian necklace next to a Bourgeois necklace… not only was it interesting to have to hunt for the contemporary work among the antiquities, but her work, so steeped in these dark and mysterious taboos, made me see this universal relationship between time periods, styles, and people. I’m not really interested in historical works of art – I prefer contemporary work – but Louise Bourgeois’s work in that context made me see the Walters’ collection in a new light.

How long does it take to make a typical piece?

The timing depends on whether the piece is cooperating or not. I’ve made terrific paintings in a week’s time... Working fast and furious is the best way for me to do two things: to make unselfconscious decisions and marks, and to inject a sense of urgency and passion into the work. The surprises that come from hasty painting are the spark that keeps them alive. I’ve also struggled for months and months on one painting, only to paint over it yet again. I typically paint over old paintings – I like to see the history of past decisions buried under the surface of the paint.

What materials do you work with?

I use acrylic and oil paint, both for different reasons. I use acrylic because I am impatient and like to work fast. I can rapidly build up a surface and then change my mind a lot – paint things in, take them out, paint over them, put them back in again – lots of back and forth. But I like to use oil for the top layer because the color is richer and more unpredictable, especially when thinned down into stains or pours.

Your new show at Randall Scott is entitled I Am Who I Pretend to Be. Is this a reference to the recent controversy with Christine Bailey?

Yes and no. I started working on a series of small drawings, all about six by six inches, last November for the show at Randall Scott. I think I was feeling stumped and wanted to dissect the process of painting a bit, taking it apart piece by piece, make it more fun and less intimidating. So, I started out with all of these images from the dictionary, lots of dog breeds and musical instruments, just silly images, one on each piece of paper, and then I felt that the growing stack of drawings needed another half. I thought about what they all had in common and decided all are presented to the world as factual evidence. And we all know that facts are just part of the story. The other half is the opinions and intuitions lurking beneath the surface, most of which are not appropriate to share with others.



So I started working on another series of small drawings, to enhance the first series, just writing phrases you’re not supposed to say in public, and these became the "confessions," which complete the story. (The installation is called Confessions and Evidence, above, and is 160 drawings in all). One of the confessions I wrote at that time was “I am who I pretend to be.” I didn’t really think about it much… I mean, I write little phrases down all the time, especially when I am driving, and it made sense on a lot of levels. I think I was really thinking about that particular phrase in an inspirational way, like, you can be who you want to be – you can do it!

But later, after the "Bailey incident," as we call it here in Baltimore, I came across the statement and its meaning was completely different and not at all what I had intended. It just smacked me in the gut, this small drawing. Here was this person pretending to be me, in her work, and here I am, just trying to be myself, through the same exact process. It was bizarre. Like most of my decisions in the studio, that drawing was a happy accident and I didn’t even realize until long after I had made it. When I rediscovered that drawing, it felt like the theme of my work was staring me in the face and I have another artist to thank for it, I guess.

Do you have a favorite art spot or event in D.C. or Baltimore?

Yes. It is my studio! It is in my basement these days, after the condominium culture ate up my warehouse space. I try not to go out too much, although I do go to my share of art shows, especially in order to blog about stuff. I love going galleries that are professional without being snooty. I think the Randall Scott Gallery definitely fits this bill, and so does Gallery Imperato who reps me in Baltimore, as does Paperwork in Baltimore, which is a space I’ve opened up recently with my friend Dana Reifler.

How would you describe the art scene or community in D.C. or Baltimore?

As an artist who’s been showing both in D.C. and Baltimore for a couple of years, I have to say the two are completely different. I like making art in Baltimore, because I can afford to have a lot of studio space and freedom to experiment. Baltimore’s art community is supportive and warm, and is definitely thriving, but there isn’t much economic backing for it, other than grants. I sell a lot less work in Baltimore than in D.C., although the press in Baltimore is more encouraging, with lots of opportunities for reviews and write-ups.

In general, D.C. is a cooler, more intellectual city, and also more wealthy. I discovered blogging, after my first show in D.C. There were no art blogs in Baltimore a couple of years ago. There are many more professional galleries in D.C., which tend to exhibit commercial work and also a few more museums that collect contemporary work. This work isn’t always as dynamic or vital as the work I see produced in Baltimore, but it is definitely exhibited more professionally.

I think I am really lucky to be able to be a part of both the Baltimore and the Washington art community. I think I learn a lot, professionally, from both spots, although I get a lot more speeding tickets in Washington.

What do you see down the road artistically?

I like to be busy making things at all times. My goal would be to have projects aplenty, some solo and some collaborative, for the rest of my life. I would like to teach less and paint more. I would like to continue to curate exhibits with interesting people and in challenging places. I would like to get paid to write about art. I would like to travel to lots of new places to make, curate, and write about art. I would like to be awarded some grant money so I can do nothing but make paintings for a while and not leave the studio and really get to know myself. And eventually, I would like to be a really busy old lady, as ready for the next painting, and the next show as I am now.

To hear more from Ober, the Randall Scott Gallery will be holding an informal chat with her on April 5 from 4:30-6 p.m. Brandon Fortune, curator of painting at the National Gallery and Kriston Capps, critic for the Washington City Paper and blogger will conduct an informal interview with Ober about her work.

By Amy Cavanaugh in Arts and Events

Cara Ober: 'i am who i pretend to be' opens at RSG March 8

March 8 - April 11
Reception Saturday, March 8 at 7 p.m.

The most unlikely pairing of visual elements, culled from home décor, fashion, old reference manuals, and action painting forms the visual vocabulary of Baltimore based painter Cara Ober. These works act as an entry point into the artist's unconscious; the connections between disparate images create a visual poetry, full of meanderings and musings, paired with suggestion and associations. Ober's method for constructing meaning is of her generation; she catalogues, documents, and pieces together fragments into internal maps, which document a moving through time.

"You can't understand beauty without loss. And I can't take either of these ideas seriously without an undertone of humor or irony. In every solemn occasion, there is always a subtext of anxiety or mischief, a story that is hidden. In my paintings, the most serious and silly elements combine and interact on the canvas, unfolding a narrative that is striking in contradiction, absurd in paradoxical blather, and authentic in poignant longing. I don't desire to depict these ideas, rather to reenact them on the canvas, through an odd balance of extremes." writes Ober.

Ober's canvases, rich in layers of ideas worked, rethought, reworked and painted with an exuberant and excited hand, is akin to a late night conversation shared over numerous cups of coffee, or glasses of wine. Focused in the moment, with thoughts flying in every direction, these works act like an improvisational jazz riff that never looses track of the melody, while never drawing recognition to it in sequence, either.

These explorations, presented in text, color and visual layers create a multidimensional narrative. As in life, there is no singular meaning, no clear definition. Ober's narratives, by use of juxtaposition and unlikely relationships, can be read in any number of ways, encouraging a viewer to roll in their own associations and to enrich the experience.

"My conception of validity is entirely subjective, based on my suburban upbringing, my sense of humor, and my own tunnel-vision rebellion. There is a sense of play and meditation in my work, found in the stream-of-consciousness chatting I document, and also frustration, loss, and nostalgia. The search for meaning and reflection in the scrutiny of the evidential details is what fuels me, although the paintings typically yield unexpected outcomes, and answers to questions I haven't asked yet."

Cara Ober earned her MFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2005. Based in Baltimore, MD, Ober teaches at MICA, Johns Hopkins University and Towson University. She also writes for several local publications on the arts and curates an exhibition space in Baltimore that showcases works on paper. In the past year, her work has been shown in a number of local and national exhibits, including second prize in The 2007 Bethesda Painting Awards, and a solo show at Flashpoint In Washington D.C.

detail from 'she took the reason'

Current and Upcoming Exhibits

'i will pay for this later on.' mixed media on canvas. 2007.

Cara Ober: Project Room
Opening Reception: May 26
May 24 - June 20
Randall Scott Gallery
Washington, DC
www.randallscottgallery.com

Bethesda Painting Awards Finalist Show
Fraser Gallery, Bethesda, MD
June 7 - July 8
www.frasergallery.com


detail from 'passing notes.' 2005.

Anonymous III
Flashpoint Gallery
Opening Reception: June 7
www.flashpointdc.org

Cursed Blessing: Cara Ober and Tung Lo
Gallery Imperato
Opening Reception: Friday, August 24
August 15 - September 30
www.galleryimperato.com

Fresh Art at The Karin Sanders Gallery

from: The Independent Newspaper, June 6, 2007
www.indyeastend.com
"In the Gallery" by Joan Baum



May 26 – June 26, 2007: “Fresh Art” at Karin Sanders Fine Art, 126 Main Street, Sag Harbor, NY.

Though only in her second season, Karin Sanders is moving her gallery to a more "progressive and hip" edge, show-casing more emerging and established artists with a "fresh, innovative vision who are working in media that are inventive and unique." By edge, she means "cutting edge, NYC style," SoHo or Chelsea, with no distinction made between photos and painting - "it's all about art."


works by Orly Cogan

(article truncated)

Too unsettling? Try Cara Ober, whose mixed media canvases, like Ms. Cogan's, have serious fun with stereotypes about women and women's work. Describing her pieces as 'narratives,' Ms. Ober uses lettering, paste ons, paint, and ink to create pseudo-primitive views that move from symbols of innocence to experience.


summertime skin

In 'I'd Rather See You in Summertime Skin', a dictionary definition of 'pretty' is painted near a stick-figure honeymoon couple. The eye then travels down the canvas, past a blue bird (of happiness?) and a colorful cliche family beach scene, where black cursive writing scrawls out the picture title. Two smaller works, from Ms. Ober's 'Meshuggeneh Series,' joyfully continue the gentle satire.


untitled from the meshuggeneh series

Fresh Art includes works by Orly Cogan, Richard Alvarez, Jill Corson, Cara Ober, Diane Rollins Feissel and Michael Souter.