Generation IGNITE!

A new group of recent grads is setting the art world on fire.

By: Susan Van Dongen

"Plugs" by Mary Kate Maher.

   Art can be dangerous. For example, a simple item like a pencil can be re-shaped into a weapon, deadly enough to terrorize a schoolyard or even take down an airplane. At least that’s what the Department of Homeland Security tells us.
   British artist Robert Nicol was musing on this subject when he crafted "Plans for America: Classroom Violence." It’s a simple pack of colored pencils in a plastic container, but they’ve been transformed into a series of potentially lethal weapons. It’s his commentary on the violence erupting at places such as Columbine, and also gives a nod to the nightmare of airport security in post-9/11 America.
   What’s really striking about this piece is that the artist wasn’t permitted to send it from Britain to Trenton, where it is one of numerous contemporary multimedia pieces on view in IGNITE!, a group show at Artworks.

"Plans for America" (put together with "actual plans," not pictured) by Robert Nicol.

   "In order to get this work of art from Britain into the United States, Rob had to send assembly directions for me," says Matthew Lucash, who co-curated the show. "Customs agents said the piece couldn’t be sent through the mail, so he sent over the instructions instead."
   The step-by-step pen-on-paper "how-to" guide is displayed next to the package of colored pencils, which looks innocuous until you notice the knives and screws where the nibs should be.
   "Actually, the instructions lent themselves more to the whole concept of the piece, which was originally about making art," says Mr. Lucash. That seems to be the driving force behind most of the works in IGNITE!, which runs through June 21. Execution and craftsmanship is admired, but ideas and concepts reign supreme in this show, designed to introduce viewers to a generation of young artists just on the cusp of public acknowledgement.
   Co-curated by Mr. Lucash and Rocco Nicolini, both artists and members of the Trenton Artists Workshop Association, IGNITE! has assembled works by an international roster of fresh young artists from four continents and 11 major cities. The show is the third in this year’s TAWA at Artworks series of exhibitions, celebrating the 25th anniversary of the organization.

"Machine," a wall drawing by Steven Dufala, on view at Artworks in Trenton.

   "This is the youngest generation right now, just out of (art school) and behind the people who have already made it," Mr. Lucash says. "We wanted to show what our generation is about. There are a lot of good new things coming up."
   The artists are mostly from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia and the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, but also hail from Chicago, Los Angeles, Japan, the United Kingdom and Australia. In addition to Mr. Nicol, Mr. Lucash and Mr. Nicolini, IGNITE! is exhibiting works by Michael Coppage, Michael Cummings, Ted Dalton, Austin Dodson, Billy Blaise Dufala, Steven Dufala, Hisako Inoue, Alicia Keller, Jenny Kranzler, Mary Kate Maher, Tom McKloskey, Aaron Pauly, Mark Stafford, Michael Tarbi, Ben Volta and Patrick Ziesing.

"The Buzz," a video installation by Tom McKloskey.

   "I wanted to get a nice span from around the world and let people see who’s doing what," Mr. Lucash says. "A lot of the artists are friends, or friends of friends. It’s interesting that so many artists exhibiting here are from PAFA, so you’d think there would be a lot of academic painters. But the students who have the most academic training seem to be the ones who did the least academic art.
   "That’s another important point of the show," he continues. "We have some traditional paintings but we also have something like this Rob’s (Mr. Nicol’s) work, rethinking or questioning the idea of what art is. That’s what’s happening today — art is becoming less about craft and more about ideas."
   One recent PAFA graduate, Tom McKloskey, has contributed a couple of timely multimedia political statements to the show. One piece is titled "The Buzz," a sampling of brief videotape loops from ABC and CBS television news, featuring their most famous faces. We see Peter Jennings on camera, a graphic and the words "America’s troops" over his shoulder, and we guess he’s reporting on the status of the war in Iraq. But the image has been speeded up so it looks like Mr. Jennings has a facial tic. The sound has been layered over so all we hear is the buzz of insect wings.

Corner installation with ribbon by Alicia Keller.

   Another tape loop has CBS’ Dan Rather apparently discussing the economy but with eyelids drooping so badly, it looks like Mr. Rather is snoozing through his own broadcast. Mr. McKloskey has replaced the audio with the sound of crickets chirping, which adds to the somniferous quality.
   "It’s probably the easiest piece to relate to because of the familiar faces and common imagery," Mr. Lucash says. "Using video would be representative of a new kind of pop art. You can see it’s shifted from the previous generation, which would have used labels and advertising instead of recognizable electronic media."
   But even though everything on view at IGNITE! seems so cutting edge, Mr. Lucash notes the artists are just carrying on the spirit of contemporary art — each successive generation needs to "push the envelope" and challenge and expand the public’s ideas about art.
   "There’s a kind of continuation of things that have been going on for 50 or 60 years," he says. "You don’t realize you’re part of the lineage of all these (artistic movements) that have happened before you, but you are."

"Dumpster Coffin" by Billy Blaise Dufala.

   Mr. McKloskey also crafted "Sleeping," which simply features a rag doll resting on a balsa wood bed — but the doll has a video screen for a face. She sleeps peacefully until the sound of a missile jars her awake. Her eyes blink for a few seconds, then flutter shut again.
   "It’s like a ‘who cares’ kind of thing," Mr. Lucash says. "He was thinking of the people in Afghanistan, for example — they hear this stuff every day. In America, we’d be freaking out if something like this happened, but when it goes off over there the people say, ‘Oh, there’s another one of those missiles.’ And they just go back to sleep."
   One of the most beautiful but startling pieces in the show is Billy Blaise Dufala’s "Dumpster Coffin," a meticulously crafted combination Dumpster and coffin. The artist sculpted the Dumpster and decorated the full-size vessel with elaborate metallic scrolls, then lined it with deluxe champagne colored cushions — like something that would appeal to a homeless vampire. The concept is more serious, however, and speaks to throwaway, wasted lives.

"Washington Crossing the Delaware" by IGNITE! co-curator Rocco Nicolini.

   "Sometimes we throw things away that are sacred, like dreams," Mr. Lucash says. "It’s a neat idea, but it’s also a beautiful thing, all made by hand. Actually this is one of his smaller pieces. Billy’s known for his huge sculptures and only makes two or three (works of art) a year."
   Co-curator Mr. Nicolini has contributed some of the few paintings in the show, putting a twist on a traditional American story. His "Washington Crossing the Delaware" has some of the elements of an epic oil painting of patriotic subject matter, including the requisite dominance of red and white in the palette. But the abstract expressionist splashes of color turn the idea on its head. There’s obviously a boat filled with soldiers and you can even imagine Washington standing in the vessel, but it’s all presented like a Rorshach test.
   "He likes to take familiar stories and present another, abstract aspect of it," Mr. Lucash says.
   The Robbinsville resident had been kicking around the idea of presenting current works by himself, his friends and acquaintances for some time but had trouble deciding where to mount the exhibition.
   "At first, I had thought about doing the show in Philly or New York," he says. A 2003 graduate of the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, Mr. Lucash is currently pursuing a master’s in fine arts from PAFA. He also did undergraduate work at Mercer County Community College. In fact, it was Tricia Fagan, director of the MCCC gallery, who pointed Mr. Lucash in the direction of TAWA, which solidified his decision on Artworks as the venue for IGNITE!
   "Tricia suggested I look to TAWA for advice, so I went to one of their board meetings and they were so interested they invited us to put the show together immediately," Mr. Lucash says. "The whole show was set up in two months — all the artists, the installations and the mailings. I don’t think anything like this has been done around here before. Being from just outside of Trenton, I thought this would be a good middle ground."
IGNITE!, a group show of multimedia, contemporary art, is on view at Artworks, South Stockton Street, Trenton, through June 21. Gallery hours: Mon. 11 a.m.-3 p.m., Wed. 3-7 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m.-3 p.m. and by appointment. For information, call (609) 777-1770 or (609) 540-1555. On the Web: www.artworksnj.org