the grandeur of power
curated by Eric Shiner
May 6 – June 23, 2023
Associated Artists of Pittsburgh Exhibition Space
100 43rd St. Unit 107
Pittsburgh, PA 15201
Want to preview the exhibition, meet curator Eric Shiner, and talk with the exhibiting artists? You can do this by attending our fundraiser, Spring Thaw, on May 5th!
Power is a complex notion that energizes and subjugates in equal measure. Darwin, speaking on the seismic shifts in the Andes which gave birth to volcanoes there, describes it in terms of grandeur. Andrew Carnegie, patron saint of the arts here in Pittsburgh, referred to it thus: “Immense power is acquired by assuring yourself in your secret reveries that you were born to control affairs.” Of course, these two opposing notions create a central paradox: one based in human control; the other, based on the force and uncertainty of nature. Art, it seems, becomes the ideal interstitial zone between nature and culture, as it is both fully and radically free, yet it is authored by those who, by their very nature, so often oppose and protest systems of control. The selections in this juried exhibition examine notions of power from myriad viewpoints and through numerous media. In the end, they all share the common thread of urging us to question power, and ultimately to harness it to benevolent ends.
-Eric Shiner
EXHIBITING ARTISTS: Ruthanne Bauerle, Gavin Benjamin, Robert Buncher, Alan Byrne, Dino DeIuliis, Dan Droz, Rebecca Einhorn, Fabrizio Gerbino, Henry Winslow Hallett, Hannah Harley, Ulric Joseph, Renee Keil, S. Kessler Kaminski, Laura P. Krasnow, Alexandra Lakin, Deborah Lieberman, Ignacio Lopez, Christine Lorenz, Penny Mateer, Ben Matthews, Richard McWherter, Brent Nakamoto, Ellen Chisdes Neuberg, Thomas J. Norulak, Emily Paige, Brian Pardini, Paul Roden, Christopher Ruane, Nicole Renee Ryan, Patrick Schmidt, Ben Schonberger, James Simon, Henry J. Simonds, Carol Skinger, Becky Slemmons, Kara Snyder, Zim Syed, Mia Tarducci, Tresa Varner, LaVispera, Thomas Waters, Suzanne Werder, Hisham Youssef, Kathleen Zimbicki
THE GRANDEUR OF POWER: ONLINE STORE
In conjunction with our current exhibition, The Grandeur of Power, we are launching an online store that features works from more members of Associated Artists in the theme of ‘Power‘. Browse through the store and find a piece that resonates with you!
With every sale, 70% goes back to the artist
about eric shiner
Eric Shiner is the President of Powerhouse Arts, a Brooklyn not-for-profit committed to creative expression that hosts a network of art and fabrication professionals and educators who work together to co-create and share artistic practices.
Shiner has served as the executive director of Pioneer Works in Brooklyn, artistic director of White Cube New York, and Senior Vice President of Contemporary Art at Sotheby’s. Shiner was also the director of The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh (2010-2016) and the Milton Fine Curator of Art at The Warhol (2008-2010).
A leading scholar on Andy Warhol and Asian contemporary art, he lived and worked in Japan for six years and was assistant curator for the inaugural Yokohama Triennale (2001). He has curated notable exhibitions internationally, including The Warhol Museum’s Andy Warhol retrospective that traveled to Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, and Tokyo (2012-2014).
Shiner is the immediate past President of the board of Visual AIDS, a NYC-based nonprofit promoting the artistic legacy of those artists lost to and living with AIDS, and a board member of The Romare Bearden Foundation and Art at a Time Like This. He lives in New York with his partner, Dr. Ishaan Kumar, and their long-haired dachshund, Juno.
Photos by Chris Uhren