How to go
What: "A Global Affair": Stefan Chinov art, photos, video
Where: Rieveschl Gallery, The Carnegie, 1028 Scott Blvd., Covington, Ky.
When: Continues through Nov. 23
Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday, noon to 3 p.m. Saturday
More information: (513) 957-1935, www.the carnegie.com
Dayton artist Stefan Chinov visited the South Shetland Islands off the coast of the Antarctic Peninsula in the Bellingshausen Sea. While there, he captured both images and video of the stark white and blue-gray expanses where adventurous people dare to tread.
Chinov’s works are part of “A Global Affair” exhibit at The Carnegie in Covington, Ky. “Distance in Itself Invisible” shows a series of photographs and a 15-minute video; sculptural objects in cast plaster and large-scale drawings on layered polyester film are collectively called “Distance Mask.”
These were the result of an art residency that he completed in January with the Bulgarian Antarctic Institute. It was made possible through a grant Chinov received from WSU College of Liberal Arts. The nine photos were taken with a pinhole camera.
“Images of the Johnson Glacier really take over the whole landscape,” said Chinov, an assistant professor in sculpture and drawing at Wright State University. “Other images are ghostly silhouettes of local penguins and seals. Because of the type of exposure, none are clearly visible. Everything appears as if in a fog.”
The wall-mounted video monitor delivers repetitive views, completing the effect of the images with sound. The sculptural objects are set in modular wall and floor installations.
“The pieces in this sculptural series are meant to evoke place and memory as concrete physical sensations,” Chinov said. “While the objects are aimed at delivering a condensed sense of physicality, the detached and sterile surface of the plaster, similar to the translucent film on the photographs, act as a barrier.”
Chinov, who lives in Oakwood, came to the United States from Sofia, Bulgaria, 13 years ago to complete his master’s degree in fine arts at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. His awards include a Critic’s Choice at the Dallas Contemporary Art Center, as well as fellowships in Wyoming, New Mexico and Turkey. He also received a Montgomery County Individual Artist Fellowship in 2010.
The Carnegie exhibit also features the works of Art Quilters Anonymous: Barb Bruser, Sandy Ciolino, Casey Collier, Cris Fee, Barbara Green, Carrye Kearns, Nancy Sullivan Morgan, Vickye Payton, Robbie Porter, Ann Reed, Betsy Ellen Terrill and Lynn Ticotsky. Other artists featured are Petra Kralickova, Yvonne van Eijden, Andrea Kay and 2010 Kentucky Governor’s School for the Arts Scholar Charlie Goering.
Contact contributing arts writer Pamela Dillon at pamdillon@woh.rr.com.
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