September 12 - October 10, 2009


opening reception for the artists:
Saturday, September 12, 2009  5:30 - 8:30pm

Jill Foley
The Mountain

The Mountain is Jill Foley’s consciousness turned tangible. Through the room-sized installation and the objects in them, Foley’s task is total representation of being. Her drawings, paintings, found objects and puppet-like figural sculptures are attempts to come as close as possible to the original thought or feeling that instigated them. Through juxtaposition, extension and exaggeration Foley’s work charts the distance between the real and imagined, mirroring her ongoing effort to bring her work closer to her life.

Each Thursday through October 1, The Mountain, a multi-roomed, five-hundred square foot structure will host a series of Thursday evening happenings from 6:30 – 8:30PM beginning with an open mike poetry slam Thursday, September 17. Each event, conceptualized by the artist, will attempt to capture the spirit of the space as a fantastical place where the real and imagine collide.

The happenings will take place Thursday evenings from 6:30 – 8:30pm. The Thursdays include: September 17, September 24 and October 1.

Dallas artist Jill Foley earned an M.F.A. from Southern Methodist University in May 2009 and a B.F.A. from Texas Wesleyan University in December of 2005. This will be Foley’s second exhibition at Conduit Gallery.

left: Jill Foley,  The Mountain, 2009, site-specific installation, Conduit Gallery
right: Jill Foley,  The Mountain, 2009, site-specific installation detail , Conduit Gallery

Steven Miller
Fukurama

In Fukurama Steven Miller continues his exploration and keen interest in Japanese culture and aesthetics, Fuku referencing the Japanese god of longevity and Rama referring to the Hindu deity. With this imagined word, Miller creates a charge-to-cheer in the spirit of the rally, “Bonsai!” The small-scale landscape paintings are rendered with precise lines, and color is utilized to emphasize the flatness of the picture plane.  His attention to the craft of the objects and to the materials used, lend an Eastern sensibility to the work. While the form of the paintings nod to an Eastern style, the content consists of a distinctively Western narrative. The serene land and sea-scapes are inhabited by menacing figures enacting mysterious dramas.

left: Steven Miller, Drag, 2009, acrylic on panel, 15x24"
right: Steven Miller, Pipeline with Icebergs, 2009, acrylic on canvas, 20x20"

PROJECT ROOM

Dan McPharlin

The Conduit Gallery Project Room will exhibit several small-scale sculptures by Australian artist Dan McPharlin. McPharlin is a multi-media artist and designer, working in sound art, illustration and sculpture. His tiny models of imagined analog synthesizers are meticulously
crafted and lend a visual nod to his interest in early modernism, science fiction and retro-futurism.