Presto Magic
Saiman Chow, Rob Fisher, Langdon Graves
Curated by Wendy Olsoff and Anneliis Beadnell
November 14th, 2012 – January 4, 2013

308at156 Project Artspace is delighted to present a group show organized by Wendy Olsoff and Anneliis Beadnell of P.P.O.W. The artists of Presto Magic present a selection of works that reveal scenes of mystery, intrigue and play. Their collective histories uncover an evolution of imaginative forms and mediums rooted in the first artistic explorations of their youth. 

In The Feast, Saiman Chow morphs memories of his family’s dinner table into a sensorial and surreal scene where fingers are breadsticks and fish have legs. Chow was born in Hong Kong and moved to the states when he was 15. In his work he mines his position between Eastern and Western culture; combining Chinese mythology, rituals and symbolism to create surreal yet playful visual narratives. His work is compiled from a mixture of media, such as watercolor, acrylic, and collage both by hand and digital, drawing inspiration from his Asian heritage, art history, humor and graphic novels. Chow received a degree in illustration from the Art Center College of Design in California and has exhibited his works both in the United States and abroad. 

Rob Fisher’s series of works are inspired through a collection of 1960’s Presto Magix kits, that the artist played with in his youth, however now he has broken the rules of the game creating his own bag of visual tricks. “With these drawings I’m interested in re-capturing an old experience while simultaneously creating a new one,” said Fisher who was born in Detroit, Michigan, in 1971 and currently resides and works in Brooklyn, New York. He received his BFA from Ringling School of Art, Sarasota, Florida, in 1996. He has shown internationally with Marlborough Galería (Madrid, Spain in 2005) and Viktoria Hoffman Gallery (Vienna, Austria, and Hanover, Germany, in 1996). His work is in various private collections located both nationally and abroad. 

Situated in the middle of the gallery is Case by Langdon Graves. The work is compiled of the synthetic textures of vinyl and mylar juxtaposed with strands of brunette hairs. The artist’s evocative sculptures and meticulous drawings are embedded with influences of her upbringing through her early drawing lessons from her grandfather and her continual interest in cultural myths. “My work reflects my interest in the relationship of religion and science, particularly where they confer or clash over the human body - what it’s made of, how it formed, its interaction with the brain, what we should or should not do with it, alive and dead, and what happens to it after that,” said Graves. Originally from Virginia, Graves lives and works in Brooklyn, NY. She received her BFA from Virginia Commonwealth University and her MFA from Parsons School of Design. Langdon has exhibited her work throughout the United States including New York, Boston, Miami, San Francisco and Los Angeles, as well as in Europe.