What Are We Doing?

kayafas_lg

Gallery Kayafas
January 21 – February 26, 2011
Reception: January 21, 6-9pm

What Are We Doing? is an exhibition of photographs, videos and 7″ albums by collaborative artists Harvey Loves Harvey. The duo of Matthew Nash and Jason Dean have created several recent bodies of work exploring the intersection of artistic experience and social space. Working in Joseph Beuys tradition of social sculpture, they have created small vignette performances on the streets of New York that explore the history of the city, and tried to provoke people on the street to respond to the contemporary city while engaging with its history. This included actions such as re-creating the famous album cover photo from The Clash’s “London Calling” album outside the Palladium Theater where the image was made, but inspired by the fact that the theater is now a Trader Joe’s grocery store; re-enacting Sonny Rollins practice sessions for his album “The Bridge” for everyone crossing the Williamsburg Bridge; and helping to get out the vote for George McClellan in his 1864 presidential campaign against Lincoln.

What Are We Doing? is a funny and thought-provoking selection of projects that show two artists asking what it means to make art, and what makes for an artistic experience, in a fast-paced and ahistorical world. Each of the works provokes a question that the artists could only attempt to answer, and often failed to answer, all while finding some amazing experiences in the process.

What Are We Doing? is on view January 21 through February 20, 2011 at Gallery Kayafas. Works on view include a selection of 10 photographs and 14 videos from the series of intervention projects called 14 Actions For 14th Street commissioned by Art In Odd Places in 2009. Also on view are The Bridge {refrain} created for The Work Office project at the DUMBO Arts Festival, which features a set of custom 7″ albums recorded on site, and Would Sol LeWitt Approve? — a musical performance of LeWitt’s rules for Conceptual Art. There will be screenings of the short film What Are We Saying? during the run of the exhibition.


Gallery Kayafas is located at 420 Harrison Ave in Boston