Anderson Gallery attracts noteworthy artists to inventive exhibit

By Tom Gresham

"Surface Charge," a new exhibit at the Anderson Gallery at Virginia Commonwealth University, relies on a simple yet distinct shift in the common practice of art museums and galleries.

Instead of bringing art into the gallery and setting it up simply to inhabit existing space, Sabine Russ and Gregory Volk, co-curators of the exhibit, are welcoming the artists themselves into the gallery and allowing them to create new pieces that react to the space and make it new. As a result, the gallery will not merely house artwork — it will become artwork.

"This is a very dynamic exhibit," Volk said. "A one-of-a-kind, one-of-a-time exhibit. Nine of these 11 works will disappear when the exhibit is over. It's about allowing artists to work directly with the walls of a museum, allowing them to work with a very specific space, and then watching them transform that space."

"Surface Charge," which will run from Sept. 23 to Dec. 4, marks the 15th exhibit Russ and Volk have co-curated. It is their first at VCU, where Volk is an associate professor in the Department of Painting and Printmaking and the Department of Sculpture & Extended Media. According to Volk, VCU — with its cutting-edge School of the Arts — seemed a fitting setting for "Surface Charge."

"I think this exhibit really fits into what is a burgeoning, innovative university," Volk said.

Volk is proud of the diverse roster of artists that assembled for the project, representing six countries — the United States, Germany, Iceland, Nigeria, Argentina and Australia — and an array of styles and disciplines. Work by established artists such as American Lawrence Weiner, one of the central figures of conceptual art, will be shown alongside the creations of emerging artists such as Kim Schoenstadt, an American known for her graphite drawings.

The artists were provided with photographs and detailed blueprints months ahead of their arrival at VCU so they could prepare for the installation of their works. However, most also came ready to improvise once they were inside the gallery. The artists installed the pieces between Sept. 13 and Sept. 21.

Karina Peisajovich, who lives in Argentina, said she planned carefully for her light and painting installation, but when she settled into her assigned space her ideas evolved. She realized how powerfully the floors reflected light and that the space felt bigger than she had imagined.

"The room itself brought new ideas to the piece once I got here," Peisajovich said. "When you come to the space, you have to be open to it."

Sally Smart, an Australian collage artist, agreed. Smart, whose installation examines female pirates in both Virginia and Australia, based her work on extensive research and preparation, but she maintained the flexibility to adjust to some of the "eccentricities" in her room. Smart also laid out a grid on the walls as a means of asserting herself.

"I want to make sure I take over this space," Smart said.

Odili Donald Odita, who was born in Nigeria and now lives in the United States, said he has reveled in the climate at the Anderson Gallery during installation. The artists seem to feed off each other, he said, while building distinctive creations.

"There's a lot of energy, a lot of excitement here," Odita said. "I like being a part of it. You can really feel something is going on, and I think it helps bring a sense of energy to each piece."

As Odita spoke, three VCU art students worked on preparations for Odita's abstract painting. A number of VCU students assisted artists during their installations. Volk said the experience of working with top-notch artists would be invaluable for the students.

Rachel Hayes, a graduate student in the School of the Arts, was initially reluctant to serve as an assistant for another artist. The prospect of sacrificing valuable time that could be spent inside her studio unsettled the dedicated painter.

However, Hayes decided to accept the opportunity to work with Peisajovich. She has not regretted it.

"It has been great to work with someone who is doing what I hope to be doing one day," Hayes said. "Just to see her at work, to see her go through the process and make decisions, it's been very down to earth.

"You usually just see great artists' work 'up there' on the wall and they seem out of reach. When you see them like this, going through the same kinds of things you do, you realize they aren't."

Volk gives a verbal nod to the creative electricity in the Anderson Gallery during the installation period and the experience it provides for students, but he emphasizes that the exhibit is largely about the result of that process and the impact it has on viewers.

"Ultimately, it's about the work itself," Volk said.

Visitors to the "Surface Charge" exhibit can count on being challenged and surprised. Karin Sander, a German artist, will present one of her spare wall polishings. Weiner will lay out a short, evocative written text. The Icelandic artist Ragna Robertsdottir will show a lava landscape "painting," which consists of thousands of lava chips she has collected at volcanoes in her homeland that are applied to a large, white wall.

Other artists include Peisajovich, Smart, Schoenstadt and Odita, as well as Lisa Sigal, a painter from the United States; Maix Mayer, a video- and sound-installation artist from Germany; Katrin Sigurdardottir, a sculptor from Iceland; and Elana Herzog, a U.S. sculptor who works with household textiles.

Around every corner, gallery visitors will find a piece of art conceived specifically for the place where it rests. "I think people are going to really enjoy this," Volk said.

Admission to the Anderson Gallery is free. The Gallery is open to the public Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Saturday and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. The public is invited to an opening reception on Sept. 23 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.