Governors Island Art Fair To Feature Artist Installations in Underground
Ammunition Chambers at Fort Jay for First Time
As Part of New Partnership with National Park Service
Fair Leadership also Announces Full Slate of 100 Participating Artists in 2015 Edition,
Opening on September 5
August 14, 2015 (New York) – The eighth annual Governors Island Art Fair (GIAF), which features the
work of emerging artists from around the region and across the globe, will for the first time present artist
installations in The Magazine, a series of six cavernous brick chambers underneath Fort Jay that once
housed ammunition and explosives. Varying in size, The Magazine spaces will feature video and sound
installations that take advantage of the raw environment and underground acoustics. The expansion of
GIAF to The Magazine is part of a new partnership with the National Park Service, which is focused on
enhancing the range of arts experiences on Governors Island.
Artists exhibiting in The Magazine include Rachel Rampleman, whose work straddles the realms of
time-based installation, documentary-style film, and experimental video; Megan Suttles, who creates
mixed-media installations that examine anxiety and control through the transformation of everyday
materials; and Chin-Lung Chaung, whose interactive installations bring audiences into otherworldly
environments through color and movement, among several other artists.
Additionally, the 2015 edition of GIAF will feature more outdoor installations than previous years,
creating a pathway of art between The Magazine and the historic homes of military officers at Colonel’s
Row—the fair’s primary location on the Island. Highlights of outdoor works include Peter Goldwater’s
twisted and abstract sculptures made from metal and ceramics; Aleksandr Razin’s multi-media
installations that incorporate found objects to create new, participatory experiences; and Rodrigo Nava’s
steel forms, which are created by placing the material under intense pressure.
The fair, which includes 100 artists and several independent galleries, will open to the public on
September 5 and remain open every weekend throughout the month. The majority of works on view are
available for purchase, and admission to the fair is free of charge. The fair is organized by the nonprofit
organization 4heads, which gives each exhibiting artist a full room or outdoor space in which to install
their work as part of its commitment to providing artists with opportunities to fully examine and express
their creative visions. For the last eight years, 4heads has partnered with The Trust for Governors Island
to present the fair across various areas of the Island, including the military homes in Colonel’s Row.
“Our idea is to create the experience of 100 solo exhibitions that engage with and invigorate the historic
spaces of Governors Island. This year, we made a concerted push to highlight more outdoor installation to
further connect with the surrounding environment,” said Antony Zito, 4heads’ Co-founder and
Communications Director. “We are also thrilled to expand to The Magazine, thanks to the efforts of the
National Park Service. The stone caverns with their arched ceilings and massive creaking doors lend
themselves to a range of interpretations, and we are excited by the interactive installations and complex
sculptural works that will fill and enliven those spaces.”
Featured artists are selected through a rigorous review process, and this year 4heads leadership culled
through more than 1,000 submissions. Once chosen, exhibiting artists are given their space with few
parameters and limitations. 4heads’ “hands-off” curatorial approach allows participants to freely interpret
the atmospheric and physical experience of the spaces and engage with the historic narratives of the
Island, capturing a range of artistic visions and experimentations and breathing new life into the
decommissioned spaces.
GIAF also features a selection of independent galleries, encouraging an active dialogue between artists
and art dealers and creating dynamic juxtapositions and thematic through-lines among exhibitors. Among
the galleries included in the 2015 edition are HCWD Studio, Studio GAAK, and Hofmann Gallery.
GIAF is also partnering with the Lower East Side Girls Club, which will display art created as part of
4heads’ education outreach program on the Island.
GIAF highlights the full spectrum of creative production, including painting, photography, sculpture,
installation, mixed media, sound, and video work. While many of the artists represent the New York
community, the 2015 fair also includes artists from around the country and the world, including those
from Australia, Atlanta, Baltimore, California, Chicago, Connecticut, Germany, Iran, Japan, Nigeria, New
Jersey, Peru, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C, among many other places. Some highlights from the
fair, include:
• The work of Kumasi J. Barnett, who appropriates and alters well-recognized cultural icons, to
probe and criticize socially accepted stereotypes and prejudices. In his latest series, he uses
painting to alter the covers of beloved comic books to highlight the epidemic of police brutality
against young black men.
• Hannah Hill’s oil paintings, which are grounded in the folklore and otherworldliness of the Deep
South. Taking memories, dreams, and real experiences as the foundation, Hill creates entirely
new worlds and myths through the blurring and erosion of the paint, using the medium’s inherent
properties to instill new contexts in the images.
• Sean Boggs’s slowly rotating sculptures, which examine deceleration, realignment, and constant
adjustment. The sculptures, which consist of a kaleidoscope of polygons within polygons, adjust
in so minimal succession that the changes almost go unnoticed until the experience becomes
wholly changed.
• The digitally-mediated art of Maximus Clarke, whose work will be presented in The Magazine.
Clarke is particularly interested in how people locate themselves within their physical
surroundings and symbolic cultures. He takes stereoscopic photographs of people, places, and
events to create manipulated images and experiences.
• Sam Metcalf, who explores the interplay between design, nature, and consciousness through
visual aesthetics, engineering, and technology. His work is influenced by his recent experiences
during a series of cross-country road trips and incorporates the sights and sounds of nature and
city alike.
GIAF offers a new opportunity to explore Governors Island through more than 100 installations and
exhibitions, taking advantage of the forgotten history and the scenic experience of the Island. Less than
ten minutes from Manhattan by ferry, the fair offers a quick getaway from the city while highlighting the
best of its creative culture.
For a full list of exhibitors for the 2015 edition of Governors Island Art Fair, please visit
http://www.4heads.org/2015-exhibitors/.
Artists in Residence:
4heads also hosts an Artists in Residence program on Governors Island throughout the summer, which
currently features 15 artists. The program was launched four years ago, and provides affordable
workspaces as part of 4heads’ mission to support the health and stability of the local artist community. As
with GIAF, each artist is given a full room to use as their studio. Residents are spread across the former
military homes in Nolan Park and Colonel’s Row, reconstituting the previously abandoned houses. To
engage the public with the creative process and the historic and cultural significance of Governors Island,
the artist studios are open to visitors during certain weekends from late June through the run of GIAF.
More information regarding residencies can be found at http://www.4heads.org/item/open-studios/.
About 4heads, Inc:
4heads is non-profit organization run by artists for artists. It was launched in 2008, when artists Nicole
Laemmle, Jack Robinson, and Antony Zito saw an opportunity to create a platform that would serve
emerging artists and the local community through exhibitions, education programs, and artistic
collaborations. The organization’s DIY spirit inspires and excites its audiences, while catalyzing a
dialogue between artists and people from all walks of life. Its diverse slate of initiatives includes the
Governors Island Art Fair, arts-education initiatives for underserved communities, and an Artists in
Residence program. 4heads is committed to shedding new light on hidden culture and bringing new life to
unexpected and unique spaces across the city.
Getting to GIAF:
Governors Island is less than 10 minutes away from Manhattan and Brooklyn by ferry.
Ferries dock at Battery Maritime Building in Manhattan (10 South Street) and Brooklyn Bridge Park’s
Pier 6 (Atlantic Avenue at Columbia Street).
Brooklyn and Manhattan ferries are free before noon and $2 thereafter for a round-trip ticket.
Additional information about getting to Governors Island can be found on the 4heads website at
www.4heads.org
GIAF Hours and Admission:
Every Saturday and Sunday from September 5 – 27, 2015.
11:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Admission is free.
Exhibition catalogues are available for purchase for $20. For further information call 212.673.9074 or
visit www.4heads.org.
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Antony Zito
4heads, Inc.
Communications Director
[email protected]
212-673-9074
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