Curated by Bethany Kalk and Ben Heywood
Gallery 1
Roger, Roger.
Connected by musical interludes performed by the artist’s father in a deserted, Ford dealership showroom, the 6 projections that compose Roger, Roger form a semi-narrative, quasi-factual, spatial poem. Part folk tale, part fantasy and part down-home jamboree, this multi-channel video phantasmagoria is an Oklahoma-centric epic reflecting the inherent weirdness of the middle of nowhere. The main action (and often inaction) revolves around the landscape; the vast midwestern sky, like an inverted sea, dominates both the frame and the characters’ movements. Featuring guitar distortion, a spectral farmhouse, Elvis-impersonating toddlers and the strangely disquieting nullity of the plains, this 6-act fable continuously mingles the banal and homespun with the ethereal and peculiar.
Each video segment is projected separately onto hanging screens that meander through the Soap Factory’s exhibition space allowing the distinct mood of the factory’s interior to reinforce the strangeness, rawness, and occasional desperation of the story line. Viewers may start at the beginning and work their way to the end, or start in the middle and meander sideways; the collusion of open space and woven narrative constructing a chronicle with ambiguous boundaries.
6-channel video installation
Dimensions and running time variable
Traci Tullius, 2008.
Watch an interview with Traci Tullius
Galleries 2 and 3
Meander
Meander brings together 18 artists from the Twin Cities to make a single artwork that will stretch throughout The Soap Factory’s galleries
Artists include: Andrea Selese Carlson, Angela Zammarelli, Bethany Kalk, Brian Jorgenson, Caleb Coppock, Chad Rutter, Dan Tesene, Emily Smith, Erika Ritzel, Isa Gagarin, Joe Sinness, Markus Merkle, Mitchell Dose, Molly Roth, Robin Cotton, Ryan Macintyre, Sally Grayson, Shepherd Alligood.
Talking Image Connection: MEANDER June 14th 8 pm
In the spirit of “Meander,” poets Paula Cisewski and Tammy Wenberg and musician Peter Schimke collaborate with Alison Morse on
a single stretchy evening of words and music called “Meander, Incorporated".
Ongoing throughout the season in Project Room 2
History Room: 20 Years of No Name and The Soap Factory
April 19-October 26, 2008
Opening reception: 7 – 11pm, April 19, 2008 / Closing reception: October 4, 2008
In October of 1988, a new art space calling itself No Name Gallery opened its doors in the Warehouse District of downtown Minneapolis. That gallery would eventually become the Soap Factory, one of the longest-lived contemporary art spaces in the Twin Cities. To celebrate the 20th anniversary of The Soap Factory, curator Andy Sturdevant has created The History Room, a gallery dedicated to telling the saga of Soap from the depths of 20 years of archives. Including photographs, artwork, promotional posters, historic documents, personal recollections and video, the History Room gives visitors an opportunity to learn more about the gallery famed for its raw space, its brutal lack of heat, and its remarkable following of artists who have tirelessly transformed it over the years. The Soap Factory is one of the largest spaces for contemporary art in the Twin Cities, and the exhibition History Room charts not only the story of No Name and The Soap Factory, but also the story of the thriving, exciting, and ever-evolving art scene for which Minneapolis is so renowned.
In addition to a thoughtful sampling of Soap's 20 year paper trail, History Room also features over a dozen artists who have been invited back to show new work and share their experiences at No Name and the Soap. Beginning April 19 with work from Mark Nielsen and Ilene Krug Mojsilov, the first two artists shown at No Name, the History Room will rotate new work on a monthly basis. Some artists featured on the roster include Modern Man, Mark Wojahn, David Wyrick, Jen Bervin, David Lowe, David Lefkowitz, Emily Lutzker, Tamara Albaitas and many others.
PERFORMANCE - socktesting
"This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a whimper."
-TS ELIOT
socktesting revolves around six characters who are slowly asphyxiated over four days. In knowing this they purposely deceive themselves by ritualizing a routine from the patterns of everyday life.
socktesting is a work-in-progress that will premiere at the Soap Factory in Gallery 3. It was created by Mark Abel Garcia and Megan Mayer.
With Jody Bee, Louise Delfs, Mimi Holland, J.J. Johnson, Arnie Roos, Mats Sexton, Kari Jo Skogquist, Heather Stone and Samuel Van Wyk.
Performances June 5-8, 12, 13, 15, 2008
All shows at 8pm
Tickets are $15
Students with I.D. $10
Tickets available for CASH ONLY at the door.
For more information see www.myspace.com/socktesting