SEPTEMBER is thrilled to present, *Shake Up the Room*, curated with Michael Mosby, featuring work by Reginald Madison, Sahana Ramakrishnan, Razan Al Sarraf, Marcus Leslie Singleton, and Brittany Tucker. The exhibiting artists interweave autobiographical histories with external references and observations. They fuse lived moments with learned narratives, shaping new perspectives. The impact of their work is arresting in both manner and message. Stories are being told here.
*Reginald Madison* (He/Him) will present large-scale oil paintings that tempt the viewer’s will to identify forms, perhaps narratives, while scattering into improvisational mark-making. Deeply influenced by jazz, Madison is moved by process, driven by instinct. His practice covers a range of approaches that together comprise a life's work.
*Sahana Ramakrishnan* (She/Her) will present two major large-scale works that explore the duality of self and other, human and animal, humanity and mythology; opposites fiercely interconnect and consume one another. Working with Buddhist and Hindu imagery, Ramakrishnan enlists timeless symbolism to depict connections between strain and revelation. The poetic directive here is to merge or combust.
*Razan Al Sarraf* (She/Her) will debut a new dual-channel video work that portrays a woman preparing for an Islamic marriage and recontextualizes the ritual into spaces unbound by time or resolution. Al Sarraf will also present a group of washy ink drawings from her "Sheikh" series depicting men in positions of power; her method of painting metaphorically diluting their presence.
*Marcus Leslie Singleton* (He/Him) will exhibit two paintings of observed scenes from his own personal experience. Singleton captures the lived reality of these moments, and infuses them with the overlay of his memory and feelings that were in the air at the time. While joy currents through much of his work, Singleton does not deny the lived reality of pain as an equal truth; he is telling the story of what is has been like to be alive over the last difficult year. The directness of Singleton's style of painting reflects his interest in capturing honest, lived experiences.
*Brittany Tucker* (She/Her) will contribute black and white self-portraits positioned in seemingly friendly exchanges with a cartoon figure, a repeated subject within Tucker's work. The figure disconcertingly appears to be friend and foe, a reflection of oneself and a projection of other; he is a simplistic container, a stand in for immeasurable complexity. Tucker will also inject a life size mural of this outlined figure onto the wall. His form will engage the viewer playfully (or not?) through his scale and proximity. Tucker is interested in addressing the gaps between representation, misrepresentation and reality.
The artists in *Shake up the Room* harness inherited and chosen histories to create new stories through their work. The show title is a command to disrupt the status quo, to reject complacency, and to script new futures.
The exhibition is curated with Michael Mosby. Since our inaugural opening in July 2016, Mosby has attended nearly every exhibition and performance at the gallery. During the first six months of the pandemic when many were turning inward, Mosby turned outward, looking to deepen connections within our community. He approached us with an idea for an exhibition and together we selected an international group of artists in addition to a long-term working artist in Hudson.
SEPTEMBER is open Friday-Sunday: noon-5pm, and by appointment. Masks are required in the gallery. For further information, please visit the gallery or email kristen@septembergallery.com.
Shake Up the Room
Reginald Madison, Sahana Ramakrishnan, Razan Al Sarraf, Marcus Leslie Singleton, Brittany Tucker
Co-Organized with Michael Mosby
April 17 - May 30, 2021
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