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Friday, February 10, 2012

Art-geek extraordinaire Courtney Sexton presents a weekly selection of Philly's must-see gallery exhibits. This week: Giant cans of pink soda at Napoleon, "Hands On" prints at Projects, and the darker side of Sugarhouse at Crane Arts.

Matt Tomezsko gets “Happier and Happier” at Crane Arts Archive Space

In “Happier and Happier,” Tyler grad Matt Tomezsko examines a relatively new fixture in town, Sugarhouse Casino. The 10 paintings in the series — made from a mix of oils, acrylics, and spraypaint — comment on the ways the casino has complicated the lives of many Philadelphians. The works call into question the balance of the casino’s pros and cons —it’s created jobs and provided another tourist destination, but at what cost? In several pieces, gold lacquer and mirrors cover up chipped particleboard and plywood. In a set of two serial paintings, a smiling man sits in front of the words “sugar express” in the first; in the second the letter ‘p’ is covered so that it reads “sugar excess.” In the second of the two, the wood of the painting’s base is being eroded by the paint like diet soda (or too much “sugar”) erodes your teeth.

Through March 4, free, Crane Arts Building Archive Space, 1400 N. American St., 215-232-3203, cranearts.com

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Posted by Courtney Sexton @ 3:00 PM  Permalink | File Under: Arts | | Critical Mass | The Curator | Post a comment
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Featuring everything from event roundups to concert reviews and sex talk, City Paper's Critical Mass is a space for off-the-wall coverage of Philly's A&E scene. If you have tips or suggestions, email josh.middleton@citypaper.net.

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