Art Lab Gallery is pleased to announce they are presenting an exciting and important exhibition that looks at how small business owners are affected by shrinking industries. The exhibition ‘Old Timers: Small Box in the 21st Century’by Raul Barquet & Alyssa Rapp will open on December 9th and will run until December 31st 2017. There will be an artist talk on December 16th beginning at 2:00pm and a closing reception on December 30th from 2:00-4:00pm. Art Lab Gallery is looking forward to welcoming new and returning visitors to the exhibition, and would welcome all journalists to the opening night.
For this 2017 DCA Premiere Grant receiving project, Barquet and Rapp created a series of interdisciplinary portraits featuring small business owners effected by shrinking industries. The gelatin silver photo editions were created using a hybrid technique that allowed Raul Barquet & Alyssa Rapp to combine photography and lettering during the printing process.
During the artist’s visits with the business owners, they conducted informal to learn about the history of the business, their owner’s history, motivations, and feelings in regards to how their industry has changed. These were recorded and selections will be made available for exhibitions guests to listen to while they view the portraits.
During the interview, Alyssa Rapp takes photos of the business owner in 35mm film. Upon developing of the film, Raul Barquet will re-imagine text based logos for the businesses that will fit within the composition of the photo. The drawings are then finalized and painted on a sheet of clear mylar before being printed in the dark room at the same time as the negative. With this project, we hope to bring attention to small local businesses and strengthen allegiance to our local community and its economic wellbeing.
Both artists work in media (hand lettering and analog photography) that are for the most part considered obsolete. Raul Barquet said: “We find that this mirrors our subjects in that modern technological advancements have applied pressure to their business in much the same way.” Raul creates typographic work using the tools of pre-digital graphic artists, choosing pencil and ink or sign painters enamel. Alyssa is a photographer using the digital medium for commercial work but continuing to utilize film for her fine artwork.
This exhibition is made possible in part by a DCA Premier Grant from Staten Island Arts, with public funding from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. Please direct any inquiries to Raul Barquet, info@raulbarquet.com (718) 954-6816
Media Contact
Company Name: Art Lab Gallery
Contact Person: Raul Barquet
Email: info@raulbarquet.com
Phone: (718) 954-6816
Address:1000 Richmond Terrace, #10
City: Staten Island
State: New York
Country: United States
Website: https://www.raulbarquet.com
