The Front Room Presents
The 5rd Quadrennial:
BALLOT SHOW October 20th-November 3rd, 2020 curated by Daniel Aycock
ONLINE EXHIBITION
The Front Room Gallery is proud to present the Fifth quadrennial "Ballot Show", which focuses on the American electoral system, and the overall notion of voting with a ballot. "The Ballot Show," held every 4 years since 2004, is inspired by the American election, and contemplates our antiquated electoral-college voting process.
The impetus for the first "Ballot Show” in 2004 was disillusionment with the shoddy way the 2000 election had been handled— "hanging chads," votes not counted, people not allowed into the polls, the Supreme Court decision. Things haven’t gotten better. As in all the previous iterations of the Ballot Show, the heart of it is questioning the US election system: electoral college, gerrymandering, etc. Basically, a 200+ year old system that needs updating. In 2020 we are also dealing with high tech espionage, Russian meddling, and cultish homegrown hate groups. And also—The Coronavirus. What could possibly go wrong?Despite the bitterness of partisan politics, The Ballot Show has always had a playful aspect in which the participants have been asked to move outside their wheelhouse, and possibly their comfort zone. Artists work in mediums, often interactive, that might be unfamiliar to them. Painters make videos, Photographers make sculptures. In a critique of an overly rigid system we have encouraged the artists to loosen up a little in their approach to this dark subject matter. For example Photographer Phil Buehler’s mural featuring 20,000 documented lies that Donald Trump was presented on a wall in Bushwick, the opening was attended by Senator Chuck Schumer, was subsequently vandalized by the “Proud Boys”, whose vandalism was then overwritten by opposing voices. It has really become a living artwork at that site, and in The Ballot show it can be read in it’s entirety. Sculptor and painter Linda Ganjian whose video “The Electoral College Workout” juxtaposes a US map, a bouncing ball, simple video game soundtrack, and online exercise videos - sums up the frustration one might be feeling at this moment in history. Meanwhile Patricia Fabricant’s day-glow silhouettes of gerrymandered districts really hammer home the machinations at work.
featuring works by:
Phillip Buehler, Ken Butler, Jaynie Crimmins, Peggy Cyphers, Beth Dary, Debra Drexler, Patricia Fabricant, Linda Ganjian, Enrico Gomez, Jessica Hargreaves, Sean Hemmerle, David Kramer, Jesse Lambert, Lisa Levy, Christopher Johnson, Pamela Longobardi, Sascha Mallon, Stephen Mallon, Karen Marston, Mark Masyga, Sarah Olson, Ross Racine, Daniel Rosenbaum, Emily Roz, Sante Scardillo, Mark Stilwell, Wendy Small, Miho Suzuki, Joanne Ungar, Zoe Wetherall, Ahron Weiner, Julia Whitney Barnes, Monika Wuhrer.
Artist: Monika Wuhrer
Title: Nature's Calling (You'd better pick up)
Date: 2020
Size: ~ 4.5' x 3.5' x 6' (dimensions variable)
Medium: reclaimed wood, reclaimed toilet seats
Edition: endless
Read about the public dry toilet artist project
MAP OF DRY TOILET LOCATIONS