Red Library, Parallel Play

I begin the day with news of an acquaintance's son, at 12 diagnosed with cancer. I look at Jessica's recent work with taxidermy birds and songs. I think of the absurdity in life and how I often take myself way too seriously. With that:

 (The Red Library, Parallel Play)

Exhibition proposal of newly paired work by multidisciplinary artists, Tereza Swanda and Angela Rose Voulgarelis.

Generated over the course of the last seven years, and shared via their collaborative blog: Art, Life (no separation), the proposed exhibition will mark the first presentation of the artists work side by side, out of the digital realm and into physical space. Their themes address the importance of equating the masculine/feminine, domestic labor and 'high art.' They criticize historically accepted women's roles in relation to notions of the Domestic, confront violence against women, and openly share deeply personal narratives.

Both individually and together, their work opens up dialogue between seeming dichotomy. By using their blog posts and images as a point of departure, they aim to "parallel play" like two toddlers side by side but independently, revealing their creative processes, methodologies and the absurdity inherent in this physical realm. 

The Red Library, or Cervena Knihovna, was an edition of romantic fiction bound by red cover targeting a female audience at the turn of last century in Swanda's native Czech Republic. The books were formulaic usually containing misogynistic content whose aim was to shape feminine stereotypes. In this show we intend to flip, play with and dismantle this stereotype. 

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Subject: Re: Art Life No Separation - Invitation to collaborate, Red Library
From: angelavoulgarelis@gmail.com
Date: Wed, 10 Dec 2014 13:13:36 -0500
To: mazur22@hotmail.com

Also let's start the conceptual process.

What are we showing and how are we doing it? What about our process merits a show?

Personally, it's important to equate masculine/ feminine, domestic/low work and 'art', and speaking the truth. All public, through our blog.

When I think of our work, I think of two toddlers playing side by side but independently. "Parallel play" is what I think the term is called. I'm not sure we have to think about making overt connections between our work. To me it's obvious by who we are and what we do. Can we look at general themes and go from there? I agree the visual component is important, but I guess I also want to stress the concepts behind the work to inform the images we choose.

Sound good?