March 29–May 11, 2013
Opening: Friday March 29, 6–8pm
with vocal performance by Samita Sinha
EFA Project Space
323 West 39th Street, 2nd floor
New York, NY 10018
Hours: Wednesday–Saturday 12–6pm
T 212 563 5855 x244
projectspace [at] efanyc.org
Artwork by: Samira Abbassy, Ibrahim Ahmed III, Firelei Baez, Ruby Chishti, Annabel Daou, Dahlia Elsayed, Chitra Ganesh, Julie Heffernan, Musa Hixson, Emma K. McCagg, Rafael T. Melendez, Dmitry Morozov, Kevork Mourad, Petros Pappalas, Antonia Perez, Wanda Raimundi-Ortiz, Sumayyah Samaha, Larilyn Sanchez, Hiba Schahbaz, Shane Aslan Selzer, Edgar Serrano, Teresa Serrano, Wojtek Ulrich, William Villalongo, Roberto Visani, Richard Oliver Wilson
Curated by: Jaishri Abichandani and curatorial team Derrick Adams, Rocío Aranda-Alvarado, Maymanah Farhat, Edwin Ramoran, Jasmine Wahi and Raúl Zamudio
EFA Project Space announces The Emo Show, a dynamic curatorial experiment involving seven NYC-based curators of color and twenty-six artists. The exhibition is conceived of and organized by artist and curator Jaishri Abichandani, who invited the participating curators to suspend their political and social biases and choose work solely based on its personal, emotional impact. Consequently, The Emo Show presents a diverse group of emotionally powerful works.
Abichandani borrows ancient Indian aesthetic codes for the organizational framework of the exhibition. Rasa Theory is an ancient Indian philosophy used to classify emotional states elicited by aesthetic experiences. Generally broken down into the following categories: Love, Valor, Grief, Humor, Wonder, Fear, Revulsion, Anger, Tranquility; works are created and presented utilizing a coded system where specific colors and symbols represent and evoke these particular feelings within the viewer.
Dividing the EFA Project Space gallery into sections of colors specific to the emotions they represent in the Rasa lexicon, The Emo Show promises to be not only emotionally resonant, but also to raise questions regarding traditional curatorial models that tend to ignore the more sentimental, visceral experiences of contemporary art.
For complete information on the curators and artists contributing to the show visit efanyc.org/emo-show, or contact Michelle Levy, Director, EFA Project Space at michelle [at] efanyc.org, 212 563 5855.
EFA Project Space, a program of the Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts, was launched in September 2008 with a focus on the investigation of the creative process, aiming to provide dynamic exchanges between artists, cultural workers, and the public. The Project Space presents exhibitions and programs in collaboration with a diverse range of organizations, curators and artists to provide a comprehensive and critical perspective on creative practices.
The Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts (EFA) is a 501 (c) (3) public charity with three core programs: EFA Studios, EFA Project Space, and the Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop. www.efanyc.org
EFA Project Space is supported in part by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in Partnership with the City Council. Private funding for the program has been received from the Lily Auchincloss Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, and Foundation for Contemporary Arts.