New American Paintings #98

Hot off the presses is the latest edition of New American Paintings, featuring my work!

Municipalia at The DCCA

I am excitedly looking forward to a solo exhibition at the Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts this March. Entitled Municipalia, I will be showing all new work which investigates the aging Modernist structures ubitquitous to our bureaucratic landscape and how they relate to and reflect human nature. The show will run from March 2 to June 3, with an opening reception and artist's talk on March 2 from 5-9. Hope to see you there!

Related events include a two-day symposium March 23-24 entitled SUPERstructure which serves as the larger theme for six individual but interrelated DCCA exhibtions taking place this spring, and an Art Salad lunchtime artist talk on April 5. More details can be found on the DCCA website.

Enfold at Nancy Margolis Gallery

New Yorkers and adventurous Philadelphians, I hope you can join me this Thursday, December 8, 6-8 pm at Nancy Margolis Gallery in Chelsea. I'll be exhibiting my drawings in the viewing room along with Tom Ngo, fellow fan of architectural absurdity. In the main gallery space will be Enfold, an installation by New York artist Harry Roseman.  Should be a great time!

LOOK! On Lancaster Avenue Public Art Project

On view from September 30 to November 30 will be my first foray into public art at 3601 Lancaster Ave, part of the LOOK! On Lancaster Avenue public art project which includes storefront installations by 13 artists, gallery openings along Lancaster Ave, and live music and performances during the opening party on September 30 from 6-10 pm. 

The idea behind my piece, Value Added:

The idea of transforming vacant or underused storefronts on the once bustling Lancaster Ave got me thinking about the evolution of economies along that route. Storefronts that once were in the business of selling goods and services to a community are now in the business of selling art and culture, and indirectly, real estate.

The term "Value Added" refers to the inarguable value and necessity of culture in a community but also hints at the uncomfortable commercialism that accompanies it.

Using the familiar scene of patched (subtracted) graffiti as a backdrop calls into question what kinds of art are deemed acceptable in the new culture economy.

 

Come see me and the finished work on Friday, September 30 from 6-10 for what should be a really fun opening party!

Upcoming Solo Series at Abington Art Center

I will be showing a series of new drawings this fall at the bucolic Abington Art Center

The show runs from September 10 to November 27. The opening reception is Sunday Sept 11, from 3-5

Other artists on view: Paul Rider, Sarah Becktel, and Joseph Leroux

Strata at Cerulean Arts

Strata

works by Erin Murray and Mashiul Chowdhury at Cerulean Arts Gallery

August 31-October 1

Opening Reception First Friday September 2 5:00-8:00

Meet the Artists September 18, 1-4 Gallery talk at 2:00

Hope to see you there!

One more Saturday left…

...to catch my show with Mark Masyga at Mount Airy Contemporary Artist's Space. Review by Edith Newhall here.

Erin Murray and Mark Masyga at Mt. Airy Contemporary Artists Space

Opening Reception May 7, 6-9 PM

Gallery Hours: Saturdays 1-4PM

Mount Airy Contemporary Artists Space

Hope to see you there!

Artblog Review: Erin Murray’s haunted architecture at Slingluff Gallery

Nicely done by guest writer Daniel Forrest Hoffman. Read the full review here.

The materiality of the work is striking. In Learning From Harbison Avenue her drawing embraces the fibrous cotton paper to create beautiful dark velvet stretches of sky coupled with meticulous architectural detail. It is easy to be seduced by the beauty of the images and skill of the artist’s hand. Murray uses this to persuade the viewer to find beauty in such ordinary settings as a Northeast Philadelphia block of rowhomes, and in fact they are quite beautiful.

Architecture Parlante

The Slingluff Gallery is proud to present Architecture Parlante, an exhibition of new work by Erin Murray.  "Architecture parlante"--literally, "architecture that speaks"-- is a type of building or structure that tells you  about itself through its design.  A classic example would be the hot-dog-shaped hot dog stand. Murray's interpretation of the term points us to more subtle and nuanced examples of architectural absurdity: a rowhouse dolled up as an Italian villa for the purpose of serving penne alla vodka to folks in Clifton Heights, a humble cinderblock building more interesting for the graffiti on its backside than anything on its front, and endless rows of enthusiastically trimmed brick boxes.

In exquisitely rendered paintings and drawings Murray explores the humor, humility, beauty, and ultimately the humanity to be found in our built environment. Working in both oil on panel, and charcoal and graphite on paper, Murray allows us to see how even our vernacular or "low" architecture can tell us about itself, and beauty, in subtle and not-so-subtle ways.

Join me at the opening Saturday February 5 from 6 to 9!