Target Gallery, the contemporary exhibition space for the Torpedo Factory Art Center, explores socio-political issues through the lens of pop culture and street art in, Culture Shock, on view Saturday, September 9 through Sunday, October 22, 2017. The reception is on Thursday, September 14 at 7 pm.

Out of more than 130 works of art submitted, juror Mojdeh Rezaeipour selected 16 artists to exhibit, 8 from the Greater Metropolitan DC Region. Storyteller and artist Rezaeipour is the producer of The Moth’s D.C. StorySLAM and co-founder of Epicure Café.

“The selected works explore the influence of pop culture and street art in the process of personal truth-telling,” said Rezaeipour. “Who are our heroes and our villains? What does justice look like? What are the consequences of carrying these questions in our work?”

For example, Sarah Jamison’s work is inspired by the amount of time people spend absorbing images on their digital devices. Her drawings Huge and v sad are the size of an iPhone screen. They’re born out of her own revulsion for and dependence on her phone. She seeks to reinterpret digital images through the laborious process of creating fine art and thereby captures the absurdity of our fascination and consumption.

Michael Holt’s Punk, Pop, Propaganda is layered cuts from Art in America magazine. He removes material as he explores the magazine, leaving only the things that hold his interest. The pages remain loose and not fixed, held together in their initial place by only the binding. The result is a dimensional record of his relationship with the magazine.

Brandon McDonald’s Triptych of the Bat Family is an altarpiece and kneeler devoted to Batman’s comic-book family. It serves as a commentary on how we venerate pop culture, consuming and building collections of merchandise like a shrine.

Exhibiting artists:

• Raul Barquet, NY
• Tavin Davis, MT
• Carolyn Faulkner, NC
• Michael Fischerkeller, MD
• Michael Holt, VA
• Sarah Jamison, DC
• Khanh Le, DC
• Floydetta McAfee, VA
• Brandon McDonald, PA
• Sandi Parker, VA
• Gabriel Pons, VA
• Ron Testa, IL
• James Walker, VA
• Jen Watson, UT
• Babelon Williams, IN
• Muhammad Zaman, NY

“The D.C. region has a prolific history with street and pop art,” said Leslie Mounaime, Target Gallery director. “We’re the home of graffiti legends such as Cool ‘Disco’ Dan who pushed boundaries on creative expression and influenced thousands of artists working today. There is a vibrant community of artists here that continues in this tradition and it’s vital that we nurture these forms of artistic freedom.”

The public reception will be Second Thursday, September 14, 6 – 8 pm, with artists’ comments starting at 7 pm. Target Gallery will also be hosting a live artist demo with Culture Shock (and Torpedo Factory artist) Michael Fischerkeller on Second Thursday, October 12 from 6 – 8 pm. Target Gallery is open daily from 10 – 6 pm and until 9 pm on Thursdays.

About the Jurors

Mojdeh Rezaeipour was born and raised in Tehran, Iran, and moved to the U.S. with her family at age 12. Since completing her architectural studies at the University of California, Berkeley, she has been involved with various facets of art and design in San Francisco, Rome, New York, and Tokyo. She currently lives in the D.C. area and works primarily with collage, encaustics, and natural elements in a light and whimsical exploration of darker subjects in today’s world. The driving force in Mojdeh’s life has always been that of human connection, which has in turn lent itself to a true passion for sharing stories and building community. She is a Moth StorySlam Champion, has been featured on The Moth Mainstage, Podcast, and Radio Hour, and currently serves as The Moth’s Washington DC StorySlam Producer. She’s also the Co-Founder of Epicure Café, a community cafe, gallery, and music venue, home to hundreds of creatives in the Washington, D.C. area.