Catch it or Regret It

by Holly Otterbein

	print	email	reply	rss feed

Published: Nov 14, 2007

(CLICK IMAGE FOR LARGER VERSION)

Philly artist Dominic Episcopo photographs American states carved out of porterhouse, sirloin and rib-eye steaks. While these pieces effectively poke fun at our nation's fatty diets, Episcopo's series of an abandoned Fairmount candy shop and Polaroids of road-trip destinations are his strongest works. Mirror Room captures a stained yellow wall adorned with a child's crayon drawings, leaving us curious about the sweet-toothed shoppers of days past.

With a hook and thread, Emily Barletta constructs a knitted representation of organs, blood cells and veins. But through the use of warm colors and shiny beads, Barletta manages to make our innards resemble flowers and vegetables. In Flesh Spot (pictured), pink rings of yarn symbolize open wounds, but the piece looks more like an underwater creature than broken skin. The title, "My Biology," is no misprint — Barletta suffers from a spinal disease, making the beautiful sores therapeutic in nature.

Four artists respond to a concept any cab-hailer knows well: the gesture. But you probably won't pick out individual hands or faces in these abstract paintings. Michel-Damini Celebre's Arc, which features the thick black strokes of Japanese calligraphy, resembles an arm raised violently upward. In John Rosis' Ebb, maroon and lavender shapes brush up against each other like shoulders in a crowded room.

 

All reader comments are subject to our Terms of Use. By clicking Post Comment, you acknowledge that you have reviewed and agree to these Terms.

Name	please enter your name
Email (will not be published)	please enter a valid email
Comment	please enter a comment
Enter the security code on the right in the textbox below.
Security Code	please enter the code
	Join the City Paper Mailing List

On The DL
Just Do It
Galleries
Museums/Exhibits
Performing Arts
Readings/Book Signings