Palm Springs Fine Art Fair
February 15th - 17th
Peter Harrington & Mari Andrews
August 24, 2012
Jay Zerbe
July 20 - August 20, 2012
Marji Gallery & Contemporary Projects is proud to announce Jay Zerbe’s solo show the culmination of a 2-year effort to expand his colorful painted structures to larger formats.
Mati Milstein: nesa’iyéh
June 14 - July 15, 2012
A new generation of Palestinian activists stands out from their society in the most distinct way: they are women.
These women are on the front lines of West Bank protest. They are beaten and face arrest and sexual harassment for their bold role. Starting with the March 15, 2011 Palestinian unity rallies, they began to take on key organizational positions and lead street protests, standing on the lines – in front of their male counterparts – and bearing the brunt of soldiers’ blows. The women, who are mostly in their teens and 20s, employ a strictly non-violent strategy both to shake off Israeli occupation and to demand sexual equality and unity in a highly-fragmented and chauvinist, patriarchal society.
“Throughout history, women have been active in revolutions but then, after the revolution is over, men would take the leadership roles. But we intend to go for all these roles,” said key activist Ashira, who was inspired by women in the Egyptian revolution. “Women are often scared of being leaders. But any woman who has a chance for a leadership role should take it. That’s the only way we can change society.”
Nesa’iyeh, the word chosen to represent this body of work, is Palestinian Arabic slang that means “feminist” or “a woman thing.” Through their actions, these women are reforging the manner in which we were taught that Palestinians are meant to act, that women are meant to behave, and that conflicts are meant to be conducted. The women appearing in these images are among those now changing the face of the Arab world.
Jeff Long: On Birds of the West and Other Places
May, 2011
A source for the paintings, reflected in the show’s title, is the legacy of noted naturalist painter John James Audubon whose depictions of birds and nature have become iconic and almost sacred. Interestingly, however, Audubon never traveled further West than the Mississippi Valley. He relied for his depictions of Western species on specimens procured for him and shipped stiff and lifeless.
Wanting to give Western birds their due, I conceived of fleshing out the visual record, says Long. Plus, I also wanted to introduce elements of contemporary ecological awareness, the history of humankinds impact on nature, and possibly a bit of allegory.
Long started the project with depictions of local vignettes, particularly on the three-acre piece of ground in Lake County, California, where Long has a weekend studio. Soon, he began adding in visual references to episodes he had witnessed in travels to such places as the Great Plains of North America and the wild areas of Africa. With nature as the theme, Long reached out to the respected Earth Island Institute, headquartered in Berkeley.
For 25 years, Earth Island Institute has been a hub for grassroots campaigns dedicated to conserving, preserving, and restoring the ecosystems on which our civilization depends. Its Project Support Program acts as an incubator for start-up environmental projects, giving crucial assistance to groups and individuals with new ideas for promoting ecological sustainability. Since its founding in 1982 by legendary environmentalist David Brower, Earth Island Institute has provided fiscal sponsorship to more than 100 projects around the globe.
To concentrate one’s awareness on the forms of life with which we share our habitat is to be amazed by many things, including a near miraculous tenacity, adaptability, intelligence, and visual splendor, Long continues. The process of painting these subjects reminds me, that for all our divorcement from nature, these living things are still recognized across cultures as a shared language of associations for humans.
