Threshold ON CANAL
Press Release
Threshold: Works by Lara Atallah and Anne Spalter
Curated by Kurt McVey
6 Greene / 329 Canal Street, NYC
1,500 sqft
Between Mercer and Greene Street
@lara_attalah @annespalter @kurtmcvey #oncanal
http://www.lara-atallah.com/
http://annespalter.com/
For ON CANAL, Lebanese artist Lara Atallah debuts her first major exhibition in New York City, titled Threshold. The exhibition consists of 20 Polaroids depicting Mediterranean shorelines and 3 large scale, suspended cyanotypes in addition to 8 small-scale “sun prints” made from pebbles collected from the various beaches.
Bordered by over 20 countries, the Mediterranean is commonly perceived as a place of recreation and leisure. Of late, the sea has become the only viable route to safer shores for masses of refugees fleeing war zones aboard hazardous, over- packed rubber boats. In many cases, these vessels never make it safely to their destination resulting in mass casualties. For those who survive, the Mediterranean represents the unforgiving, archetypal theatre of a perilous journey and an ever-present ocean of residual trauma. For too many others, it is a final resting place.
Polaroids, by definition, remove a great deal of creative control over the final product. A Polaroid camera does not give the option to set the aperture or the shutter speed. It reduces the photographer’s role to framing the scene. To photograph the sea with Polaroids means to embrace the unpredictability of the medium as well as the pictured subject—a large body of water that ebbs and flows beyond the limits of human control. Each photograph was deliberately damaged during the first 30 seconds of its development producing distorted landscapes-an expression of immediate and lasting trauma.
A moratorium on looking, 2018, Digital Video, 05:53 considers the Mediterranean Sea as a terrain of leisure and peril. Filmed in Mytilini and Athens, it is a contemplation on photography and the act of seeing.
- Written by Kurt McVey
About the Operator: Wallplay
Wallplay is an experiential arts & innovation network that operates & programs empty retail spaces. Founded in 2013 on the Lower East Side at 118 Orchard, with art billboards and a two-floor popup space, Wallplay pioneered a unique 50-50 business model. The company is able to provide subsidized space for at least 50% of its annual use to creative projects, social impact startups, and curators by hosting commercial projects & pop-ups that allow Wallplay to dedicate resources to original programming. In the process of becoming a certified B-Corp, Wallplay’s mission is to repurpose vacant spaces around the world and utilize them for public good. Wallplay operates these vacant spaces until landlords secure permanent tenants. Their platform, which showcases creative projects, enables property owners & brands to become patrons of culture. Wallplay provides access to leading creative entrepreneurs, startups, arts organizations, storytellers and thought leaders for experiential projects that push culture forward. For the past five years, the company has been turning storefronts into playgrounds for new ideas.
Wallplay is a member of NEW INC, the world’s first museum-led incubator. NEW INC was founded by The New Museum in 2014 and is dedicated to supporting innovation, collaboration, and entrepreneurship across art, design, and technology.
Wallplay.com | @wallplaynetwork