Treasure Island @ Lower East Side Printshop
October 1, 2014
Juana Valdes, On Route II (detail), 2014, cotton handkerchief w/ screen print, monotype, letterpress, 48 x 32 inches
Lower East Side Printshop is pleased to present Treasure Island guest curated by NYC/DC-based curator and writer Julie Chae.
The exhibition will be on view at the Printshop from October 1 – November 9, 2014 with a public reception on Wednesday, October 1, from 6-8pm.Treasure Island includes works by: Theresa Bloise, Amanda Church, Amy Friedberg, Esperanza Mayobre, Ali Medina, Bundith Phunsombatlert, Felix Plaza, Paul Shore, Katherine Tzu-Lan Mann, Juana Valdes, Daniel Vasquez, Liz Zanis, and Anya Zelinska.
Treasure Island alludes to the high seas explorations that took place during the Age of Enlightenment on through the Romantic Era, the navigating and mapping through dangerous waters to discover strange new worlds, peoples, and goods. The discoveries made during these times allowed Europe to make advances in science and technology, paving the way for industrialization and eventual modernization. These advances also involved subjugating prior inhabitants and colonizing these lands, which greatly increased the wealth and power of the European countries. Sunsets, beaches, ships and nautical apparatuses like ropes and maps appear in Treasure Island along with images reflecting what was lost due to imperialism.
The title for this exhibition comes from Robert Louis Stevenson’s 1883 children’s novel of the same name and a tale of moral ambiguity. In this seafaring adventure set in the 1700s, men and boys sail on a ship mostly crewed by disguised pirates to an island in search of buried treasure, using a found map marked in red ink with three crosses and the words: Bulk of treasure here.
About the Curator
Julie Chae is a NYC/DC-based curator and writer. A graduate of Williams College and University of Virginia School of Law, Chae has studied art history at the graduate level focusing on modern/contemporary and Asian art, and her background also includes working on free speech rights issues for artists, writers and teachers at the ACLU’s Arts Censorship Project.
For more information, see http://www.huffingtonpost.com/julie-chae/ and http://juliechaeprojects.com.