D Troit
CURATED BY TREVOR SCHOONMAKER
December 11, 2003 – January 31, 2004
RECEPTION THURSDAY, DECEMBER 11, 6-9PM
(opening sponsored by Tanqueray No. Ten // after party w/ BMG of
Ectomorph)
Gigantic Artspace presents as its inaugural show,
D Troit,
a group exhibition curated by Trevor Schoonmaker.
D Troit examines
the city of Detroit and its specific socio-political conditions
that have given rise to new forms of cultural and artistic production.
The collapse of the automobile industry, the 1967 race riots and
the ensuing “white flight” from the city to the suburbs
gave birth to a center of urban decay and desolation that once was
a model of the modern industrial city. But within this failed utopia
a new generation of artists and musicians developed who are a product
of and explore the specific history, urban development and cultural
memory of the city of Detroit. They are the cultural residue of
the city affectionately known as “Motown,” The Motor
City,” “Detroit Rock City,” “Techno City,”
or simply “The D.” This exhibition is not a comprehensive
show representing the city of Detroit, but a sampling of the diverse
body of visual culture and music in the city. D Troit is proud to
introduce the work of these artists to New York City. An exhibition
catalogue will be available.
Susan Cook: Video montage of family home movies
and race riot footage examines societal ambivalence and expectations
and how the past, both real and subliminal, affect the present.
Doug Coombe: Haunting photographs of abandoned
architecture from the heart of the city.
Mark Dancey: Satirical illustrations from the co-founder
of the influential underground culture and music fanzine, Motorbooty.
Andrew Dosunmu: Hot Irons is a poignant documentary
about the world of African-American hairstyling, as explained by
five Detroit hairdressers in preparation for the “Hair Wars”
convention.
Tyree Guyton: Work from the Heidelberg Project,
a community revitalization art installation, which has drawn international
attention to the plight of Detroit’s forgotten neighborhoods.
Kenjji: Drawings from the afro-futuristic WitchDoctor
comics that empower the disenfranchised.
Thom Klepach: Lightboxes investigate the beauty
of Detroit’s culture despite rampant corruption, discrimination
and environmental degradation in the urban center.
Mark Powell: Striking photographic portraits of
people from downtown Detroit.
Thomas Rapai: Paintings of isolated motels embody
the fallout of Detroit’s utopian ideal and the modern automobile
industry.
Mike Rubin: Music journalist and editor of Motorbooty
has compiled a historical overview of the finest Detroit area music
of the last forty years.
Trevor Schoonmaker is a Brooklyn
based independent curator and co-founder of the art consulting agency,
Associated Projects www.associatedprojects.com.
He most recently curated Black President: The Art and Legacy
of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti at the New Museum of Contemporary Art,
New York, 2003.
FOR FURTHER DETAILS PLEASE CONTACT THE GALLERY
TUESDAY – SATURDAY 11AM – 7PM
