Please join us for the opening reception and performance celebrating Haunted by Light, a group exhibition of photoreactive media that draw attention to forms of light as they delineate the limits of our vision and visibility. On view are cyanotypes, autoradiographs, and lumen photography, the ashes and “breath” of plants captured in glass sculptures, flashing diodes of digital images, and audiovisual environments for rituals of collective mourning.
In the opening performance, artist Dan Ortiz Leizman turns the seemingly mundane monobloc chair into a string instrument. The ephemeral sounds, or “apocalyptic folk music” navigating the nostalgia and personal memories imperceptibly marked on the chair, rub against its bone-white plastic skeleton that will outlast human lifetimes.
RSVP is free but strongly encouraged due to venue capacity. Light refreshments will be served.
Dan Ortiz Leizman is an artist, writer, and educator based in the DMV. Their work explores the intimacies of geopolitical conflict, furniture design, and experimental soundmaking. Dan lectures at the University of Maryland and Montgomery College, teaching courses in drawing, design, and sculpture. Dan holds an MFA from the University of Maryland and a BA in Philosophy and Studio Art from Goucher College. Their interdisciplinary research in sound, furniture, and post-war culture has been recognized through various grants including an ArtsAMP Faculty Impact Grant, an ARHU Faculty Advancement Grant, and a Clarvit Faculty and Graduate Research Fellowship.Their work has been included in shows and festivals across the East Coast at venues including IA&A at Hillyer, SoundScene at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, and Maryland Art Place.
Image: Dan Ortiz Leizman playing the Monobloc Harp. Courtesy of the artist and photography by Elile Kebede (@insidethedarkroom_)