Target Gallery

The newest group exhibition in Target Gallery explores how rituals are an intrinsic part of the human experience. Ritualisms is on view Saturday, January 19, through Sunday, March 3, 2019 with a reception on Friday, February 8, starting at 7 pm, during The Late Shift: Love and Ritual.

The exhibition juxtaposes different artists’ interpretations of rituals through their work, daily routines, habits, or personal quirks. It also brings in broader cultural formalities and religious ceremonies.

“I wanted to explore this topic because I am fascinated with how rituals can foster connection or even isolate people within a group or society,” said Leslie Mounaime, curator of exhibitions at the Art Center. “No matter the interpretation, the act of performing a ritual is something that everyone, in some context, can relate to.”

Juror Katy Scarlett, a Philadelphia-based independent curator, selected 24 artworks by 12 local, national and international artists.

The participating artists are:

• Gail Borowski, Shelby Township, MI
• Paula Brett, Roswell, GA
• Elizabeth M. Claffey, Bloomington, IN
• Mark Harrington, Brooklyn, NY
• Megan Hildebrandt, Interlochen, MI
• Sarah Hull, Washington, D.C.
• Ali Hval, Iowa City, IA
• Tunni Kraus, Melbourne, Australia
• Savannah Loebig, Silver Spring, MD
• Clare Nicholls, Baltimore, MD
• re:mark, Philadelphia, PA
• Kate Testa, Philadelphia, PA

Scarlett was interested in how artists’ processes of artmaking becomes a ritual practice in itself.

“While some artists maintain a traditional interpretation of ‘ritual’ as associated with religion, spirituality, or cultural heritage, others approach the act of making itself in a highly ritualistic manner,” she said. “These works of art serve as both documentation of specific periods of time and evidence of ritual, in which the expression of the artists is deeply felt through the use of gesture and repetition.”

Artists approached the concept of ritual from many different angles. For example, Megan Hildebrandt’s April and May illustrates the of colors and times of the sunset every day during those two months. Sarah Hull’s Osinato installation series uses traditional embroidery techniques to depict the rhythm and symmetry of stitch and form. Paula Brett’s Full/Fill photography series comments on shopping and consumerism through meticulously arranged shopping carts in a mandala formation, referencing to the Buddhist ritual tradition.

In the Martilinear inkjet print series, Elizabeth M. Claffey documents antique women’s undergarments referencing the passage of time and embodying the personal, familial, and cultural identity that are attached to the clothing. Savannah Loebig’s Untitled takes the theme in its rawest form, depicting three “bloodied” tampons encased in borax crystals, referencing the oldest and most innate of human rituals, the process of menstruation.

Ritualisms runs Saturday, January 19, through Sunday, March 3, 2019. The public reception will be Friday, Nov, 7 – 10 pm, with a Gallery Talk featuring artist comments at 8 pm. Target Gallery is open daily from 10 – 6 pm and until 9 pm on Thursdays.

Katy Scarlett is an Adjunct Professor of Art History and an independent curator based in Philadelphia, PA. She is interested in how contemporary artists dissect the construction of history and create awareness around historical omission. Katy has worked in accessibility, education, and public programming at several non-profit institutions including the Philadelphia Museum of Art and The Delaware Contemporary. She earned her MA in Art History from Hunter College, City University of New York.