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Shelf Life

September 7, 2006- October 14, 2006

Reception: September 7, 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Carolyn Swiszcz

M.Y. Art Prospects

547 W 27th St

On Thursday, September 7, M.Y. ART PROSPECTS celebrates the opening of the second solo exhibition by Carolyn Swiszcz. The exhibition, together with a Project Room show by Mickey Kerr, will be on view at the gallery (547 West 27th Street, New York City) through October 14.

For this exhibition entitled "Shelf Life," the Minnesota-based painter/printmaker once again demonstrates her provocative take on strip mall stores and store window displays. The humble appeal of these barely surviving Midwest suburban stores inspires the artist to conduct detailed investigations into their materials and the designs of their displays. Swiszcz explained it like this in one of her recent magazine interview:

"When I see these window displays my heart swells and I think, 'Oh! They're trying! Somebody tried their best with their time and resources.' They actually made those decisions and ordered those signs and they had dreams about their business."

While being faithful to her observation, Swiszcz also applies hyper-real colors and patterns to the buildings and their surroundings, combining varied techniques of painting, drawing and printmaking. Swiszcz's dollhouse-like painted buildings cynically but affectionately crystallize the dreams and ambitions of middle class Americans for a better life. If the products these stores sell have a shelf life, shouldn't the business itself? Swiszcz seems to know the answer. "Ultimately I'd like things to stay the way they are, and since those places seemed doomed, I can at least preserve them in my work."

Born and raised in New Bedford, MA, Carolyn Swiszcz attended the Minneapolis College of Art and Design where she earned a BFA in 1994. Since 2000, her work has been the subject of numerous gallery and museum shows in Washington D.C., New York, Chicago, Miami, Boston, Fargo and her base, the Twin Cities. Her work has also been exhibited at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts and the Drawing Center in New York. A 2002 recipient of the Bush Fellowship, Swiszcz lives in St. Paul, MN. Her work is represented in the Microsoft Art Collection and at the Minnesota Historical Society, and was featured in Art In America, Boston Globe, New American Paintings, NY Arts and other publications. In 2003, Swiszcz presented her solo show Daydreaming is Free at M.Y. ART PROSPECTS.

Books and DVDs related to artists in this show

Location map  Gallery M.Y. Art Prospects Address 547 W 27th St, Suite 204, 2nd Floor New York (Chelsea) NY, 10001 United States Phone 212-268-7132 Fax 212-268-7132 Hours Tue-Sat 11-6 Nearby: All 27 galleries at 547 W 27th St

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