[This is the second in several ultra-brief posts I hope to get up this week about work I’ve seen recently that have given me tremendous pleasure or piqued my interest in some way. I’m sort of overwhelmed with outside-the-blog life, but I really wanted to tell you about this stuff.–libby]
Joshua Opdenaker, Blackened Chicken Skewer. 26 inches high. lampwork, Silica Gallery will be taking this to SOFA
I’ve never been to Silica Galleries before a couple of days ago. It’s the gallery street-presence of Philadelphia Glass Works, the glass-making artists group that used to be in West Philadelphia but is now in Northern Liberties.
I was lured over by images from Joshua Opdenaker’s exhibit there. Opdenaker, who began as a stone carver, now works in glass, and his work, mostly lampwork with occasional use of other techniques, is an artist-in-residence at PGW.
The work, witty, full of ideas, and beautifully crafted, has an almost gothic quality that reminds me of ceramic artist Rain Harris’ poison bottles.
The show, a 10-year-retrospective (how can you have a retrospective for a young artist who got his BFA from UArts in 2002?), includes older work with threatening medical themes, ornate goblets, work with elephant/Ganesha imagery and pointed skewered-chicken pieces. I liked it all.
The exhibit is open until Oct. 26.
