Opening This Weekend: What’s The Rush?

05 Nov Opening This Weekend: What’s The Rush?

Fifty years ago designers Charles and Ray Eames assembled 22,000 images of common objects for Glimpses of the U.S.A., a film presented at the American National Exhibition in Moscow.  Despite any language barriers among the international audience, Glimpses of the U.S.A. successfully illustrated a thriving, post-war America because of the universality of the objects being shown.

What’s The Rush? Topics On Convenience assembles an international group of artists who also draw inspiration from common objects.  Visually, their work is reminiscent of the emerging pop artists of the fiftiess and sixties, with the Eames’ talent for visual storytelling. 

What separates the artworks in this exhibition from these past examples is the hectic world these artists are describing.  The objects seen in this exhibit are designed for convenience in our fast-paced world. Some items, like cell phones did not even exist fifty years ago, while others, like fast food packaging, had barely begun to affect the culture. 

Through photography, sculpture, and painting a larger-than-life focus is placed on side effects of our culture illustrating ideas of wasteful living, laziness, anxiety, and branding.  We hope this exhibition offers opportunities for discussion on pressing issues about our culture's love affair for all things convenient.

Krystal Glasman & Elizabeth C. Tallman   co-curators

What's The Rush? Topics On Convenience opens at the CSU Fullerton Main Art Gallery, Saturday, November 7, 2009 from 5-8pm.

Featured artists: Susan Jane Belton, Derek Buckner, Chris Jordan, Kevin Landers, Henriette Sonne, Maya Sutter, and Chris Wright