Target Gallery

The newest group exhibition in Target Gallery, the contemporary exhibition space for the Torpedo Factory Art Center, investigates opposing or conflicting themes through art. Juxtaposed is on view Saturday, September 8 through Sunday, October 21, 2018.

The term “juxtapose” means to place different things side-by-side to compare or contrast them or create an interesting effect. With this in mind, the artwork in this exhibition creates a direct dialogue with the viewer, encouraging them to think about the present conflicting themes and what they mean.

“I believe that we as a society feel very at odds with the current state of the world,” said Leslie Mounaime, Target Gallery director. “Those themes are reflective in the type of art that is produced throughout the country and the rest world. This exhibition allows visitors to explore contradictions—to articulate, makes sense of, and confront these feelings directly.”

The exhibition features 25 artworks by 12 artists from all over the country.

The participating artists are:

Miranda Brandon
Nora Burghardt
Theresa Devine
Travis Donovan
Nadia Estela
Ryan Lewis
Brian McClear
Christina Reed
Pam Rogers
Lyle Rushing
Caroline Wayne
Megan White

Juxtaposed was juried by Megan Rook-Koepsel, a DC-based independent curator. Rook-Koepsel selected work that presented the theme in different ways—the diversity of the media itself creating a juxtaposing effect by presenting them as part of one thematic narrative.

“The works in this exhibition encompass the subtlety and complexity that can unfold from the simple act of ‘placing side by side,’” she said. “Whether it be a literal placement of two disparate visual elements presented together, as in the case of Megan White and Nora Burghardt’s Topos series, or the juxtaposition of tone between the visual and the content as in Miranda Brandon’s Erasure, these works present a juxtaposition that gives us pause, allows us to access difficult content, and dig into the more complicated meanings at hand.

“Other artists have created work that present truths about identity and society. Works like Lyle Rushing’s Quiet Storm highlight that our highest ideals as a society—justice, equality, freedom of expression—are sometimes in contrast to the lived reality for many.”

Read full juror’s statement

Juxtaposed runs Saturday, September 8, through Sunday, October 21, 2018. The public reception will be Friday, October 12th*, 7 – 10 pm, with Rook-Koepsel’s comments at 8 pm. Target Gallery is open daily from 10 – 6 pm and until 9 pm on Thursdays.

About the Juror

Megan Rook-Koepsel is an independent curator based in the greater D.C. metropolitan area. She has served as a curatorial intern at the Rose Art Museum and at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, graduate coordinator for the Stamp Gallery, mentor to the Contemporary Art Purchasing Program at the University of Maryland, and as exhibitions eanager for Arlington Arts Center.  Rook-Koepsel has curated and organized numerous exhibitions at the Stamp Gallery. Annemarie Garden Sculpture Park and Art Center, Arlington Arts Center; and the Alper Initiative for Washington Art at the American University Museum. Recently, Rook-Koepsel was asked to identify regional artists for the upcoming exhibition Women to Watch 2018 at the National Museum for Women in the Arts. Rook-Koepsel holds a bachelor’s in art history from Brandeis University and an master’s in art history with a focus on contemporary art and theory from the University of Maryland, College Park.