Opening Reception:
Thursday, November 17 from 5-7 P.M.
Artist Talk:
Thursday, November 17 5:45 p.m.
Simmons University presents Constructing Place, an exhibition of photographs by Elaine Alibrandi and sculptures by Frank Poor from November 14-December 15 at the Trustman Art Gallery, located on the fourth floor, Main College Building, 300 The Fenway in Boston. A reception will be held on Thursday, November 17 from 5-7 P.M. with an artists’ talk at 5:45. Closed November 23-25.
Humans construct narratives with the ways they use space and architecture. Elaine Alibrandi’s photographs examine how people on their daily commute inhabit a space – that although often grimy or lonesome – has its own language. Frank Poor’s sculptural evocations of rural and small town architecture play with scale, perspective and historical nuance.
In her series Undertow, Alibrandi focuses on the desolate state of the Boston MBTA. We see architecture, stations and trains amid her close examination of surface textures, lighting and unusual viewpoints. In Distortion, an all-over barrier of white Ben-Day dots blocks our access to the layered imagery beyond, of lights and architectural components. The veteran T rider will recognize many of the locations, but they are transformed through Alibrandi’s lens, from a bustling hive of humanity to places where we feel like interlopers. Alibrandi is a graduate of Massachusetts College of Art and Design and recently returned from a residency in San Menaio, Italy.
Frank Poor creates hybrid images/sculptures. His pieces skew our thinking about architecture by leaving the underlying structure of the buildings visible in several places. The works on view arose from a residency in Columbia, South Carolina. Through his process, he evokes a historical view of buildings that speak about place. In Cotton Depot – Bishopville, SC, Poor suggests both a work-a-day atmosphere and a sense of verdant growth overwhelming the abandoned building. Poor is a RISD graduate and a recipient of two Rhode Island State Council Merit awards. The works include multiple perspectives that haunt us with their vulnerability.
The photographs and constructions of Alibrandi and Poor catch us; we see ordinary venues telling evocative tales of human habitation.
Trustman Art Gallery hours are 10 AM – 4:30 PM, Monday, Tuesday, and Friday, 10 AM – 7 PM on Wednesday and Thursday. The gallery is free, open to the public and wheelchair accessible. For more information, contact Kyle Mendelsohn at (617) 521-2268 or find us on Instagram.