Neil Young claimed that rust never sleeps, but ol’ Shakey was no chemist, and I bet that local artist Dean Dass is a bit more familiar with the natural elements. For that matter, so are Lyn and Russ Warren, who welcomed a few guests to their brand new Les Yeux du Monde gallery and studio last week for a reception and a first glimpse at new oil paintings and drawings from Dass.
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A new fortress of solitude? Hardly. Last week, Lyn and Russ Warren opened their new Les Yeux du Monde gallery and studio, designed by W.G. Clark. The pair’s first exhibition at their home space, a collection of new paintings and drawings by Dean Dass, runs through November 14. |
In fact, one enormous wall of the Warrens’ W.G. Clark-designed building is made of 4′ by 8′ sheets of Corten steel—the same material used by sculptors like Richard Serra or Barnett Newman, whose “Broken Obelisk” sculpture stands in Russ Warren’s hometown of Houston, Texas. The chemicals in Corten slow rust down to a crawl, an “arrested development sculpture,” says Warren.
Inside, Dass’ work moves through a similar elemental progression. In a dozen or so landscapes, Dass takes viewers from the Mechums River to the Iowa River, but also subtly displaces them to a city north of Helsinki (“Kiilopää,” a subject of six or seven paintings) and, in one image, simply “Bog.” But the transitions between locations are less a lengthy travel, more a gradual dissolve—an effect intensified by moving a step or two closer. (Oh, go on and get right up close—see the fingerprints on one or two?)
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It’s a fitting opening show for the new Les Yeux du Monde space; check the gallery listings and make an appointment to see Dass’ work (and the Warrens’ similarly element-confounding wall) soon.
Filmapalooza
Start making those bulk Visine purchases now, people—your peepers will ache by this time next year. Last week, Feedback got the lowdown on this year’s Virginia Film Festival during new director Jody Kielbasa’s first big celeb-centric press conference.
You heard the dirty word on John Waters already, but the fest seems committed to running the gamut from trashy to classy. Annette Bening will be here for a screening of her new flick, Mother and Child, as well as a 10th anniversary screening of American Beauty with writer Alan Ball (who might shed some spoilers during his “True Blood” discussion). And Matthew “Bueller” Broderick will drop in to confound the “Funny Business” theme a bit with screenings of his latest, Wonderful World, and his darkest, Election. (Decidedly not “funny ha-ha.”)
But don’t burn your bulbs on the festival alone! Feedback also caught word that local filmmaker Chris Farina’s documentary World Peace and Other Fourth Grade Achievements—featuring local teacher John Hunter and his multi-tiered, Risk-y World Peace game—will premier at The Paramount Theater on February 21, 2010. And Brian Wimer—a Charlottesville Lady Arm Wrestlers documentarian and big winner in last year’s 48-Hour Film Project in Richmond—screens Eat Me: A Zombie Musical at Vinegar Hill Theatre on Sunday, October 18.
