February 28 - April 11, 2003

What's new in contemporary art? Come see work by contemporary artists from across the US and overseas, as SPACES presents Selections II and Spirit, two exhibitions on view February 28th through April 11th. Selections II features work by artists who construct, deconstruct and reconstruct their art, including an interactive art wall, statues cut into tiny pieces, and much more. Spirit showcases new work created by SPACES World Artists Program Artist-in-Residence Vladimir Merta from the Czech Republic. Join us for the opening reception on Friday, February 28 from 5-9pm. The reception and exhibition are free and open to the public.

On view in SPACES' main gallery space, Selections II is the latest in a series of exhibitions this season focusing on the work of emerging and experimenting artists from across the US. Selections are culled from artists' applications to the gallery by a committee of area curators and contemporary artists.

We all know artists make art, but when was the last time you saw them unmake art? Selections II features contemporary works of art created by taking things apart and putting them back together. John Benvenuto (Dayton, OH) turns the gallery into an artistic construction site: erecting walls salvaged from demolition, he invites visitors to hammer, staple-gun and clamp new elements onto his interactive installation art which will turn audience into artists. In another part of the gallery, Peter Dudek (Brooklyn, NY) takes apart found materials from Cleveland and recycles them to create a site-specific installation about urban growth and city planning. Cynthia Greig (Bloomfield, MI) takes photographs of altered objects that look like line drawings, tricking the eye with white paint and black outlines. Greig's work invites viewers to question their own perceptions, while Catherine Smith (Flint, MI) asks us to look at reality in a different way as she "unmakes" everything from cans, chairs, statues, and guns. The tiny pieces are then transformed into surprisingly simple stacks, rows and blocks, showing hidden similarities between a diverse group of items. Lorraine Tady (Dallas, TX) uses art to map, diagram and translate her ideas through a combination of drawings, painting and sculpture, taking parts and pieces from the world around her to create imagined new worlds.

Whether you're in the mood for art created here in Cleveland, or want to see what artists from other countries are up to, you'll want to check out work by SPACES' latest visiting artist from the Czech Republic. In conjunction with the Selections II exhibition, SPACES proudly presents Spirit, an exhibition of new work by SPACES World Artists Program artist in residence Vladimir Merta. Spirit showcases work Merta created during his six-week stay in Cleveland through the program, as he digs, documents and diagrams his way through Ohio. The Czech artist combines his interests with art, anthropology and archaeology, studying the ancient history and geography of our area to create a site-specific work at SPACES. Merta combinines traditional art materials with objects from nature to bring Cleveland natives a fresh perspective on the city they see every day.

SPECIAL EVENTS
March 6 - 29 on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays: Body Outlaws
SPACES welcomes Red Hen Productions, Cleveland's Feminist Theatre, as they present Body Outlaws, a dramatic production featuring monologues and scenes from Ophira Edut's book of the same title. These quirky performance pieces encompass a wide range of personal experiences with body image and self-perception as seen by fat, small, black, white, straight, queer, athletic and disabled women. Body Outlaws will run Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from March 6 - 29 , and performances start at 8pm. Call Red Hen Productions at (216) 661-4301 for ticket information.

SPACES is a non-profit, artist-run, alternative space gallery. Since 1978, SPACES has given over 7,000 artists in the visual and performing arts an arena in which to present challenging new ideas. SPACES is located at 2220 Superior Viaduct on the West side of the Flats. Superior Viaduct runs parallel to the Detroit Superior Bridge at the intersection of West 25th Street.

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