JO ANDRES // SECRET SHOW 2024
Jo Andres : Before Your Eyes
A solo exhibition spanning 40 years
May 2 - 15, 2024, Noon - 6pm
by appointment only on Mondays and Tuesdays
Curated by Stephanie Acosta, Laurie Berg, and Christina Massey
Presented by the Jo Andres Archive + SPRING/BREAK Art Show
The Old School
32 Prince Street NYC
Artworks courtesy of the Jo Andres Archive and Estate
About the Artist:
Jo Andres was a visionary artist, filmmaker and choreographer working in the downtown New York scene in the 1980’s/90’s and later in Brooklyn until her passing in 2019. Andres created interdisciplinary performances, films, and studio works that tackled the magical, symbolic and ephemeral.
In this two floor exhibition titled Before Your Eyes, a compelling selection from the artists' archive brings together multiple bodies of her work spanning over 40 years. Guests are invited to reflect and discover the multiple through lines of Andres' work.
For this exhibition, SPRING/BREAK Art Show and the Jo Andres Archive present a solo exhibition of Andres’ work which delved heavily into symbolism and the iconography of nature, spiritualism, religion, and the divine feminine. The multi-room space allows for contemplative moments between the various stages of her career where repeated symbols, themes, and techniques can be observed.
Before Your Eyes showcases the long career and narrative of an immensely creative spirit as she navigated life as a multidisciplinary artist and mother, the technological changes that completely changed in her field. Evoking dusk, Andres creates a sense of the nonlinear nature that both dissolves time and simultaneously captures a fading moment.
From the Curators:
Upon entry, guests are greeted with several cyanotypes of eyes that border on the playful to menacing. These eyes provide a glimpse into the artist's sense of humor and act as an emblem throughout the exhibition rooms. The eye repeats in variations throughout the work, as detailed photos taken of historic dolls, to ancient symbols and presents itself through winks and glances to the discovery of the inner eye.
Several documentary photos of the artist’s performances and memorabilia are also on display including posters, choreography notes and objects that became the subjects of her 2-dimensional artworks providing a unique insight to the artistic process.
One room is darkened with a selection of slides hand created by Andres projected onto a rotating tulle curtain. This immersive installation gives a glimpse into the experience of her live performances which combined dance with analog techniques of multiple slide projections, music and hand scratched symbols that animate her narrative. Engaging old systems towards new worlds, Andres vacillated between absurdity and profundity and defied categorization in her life and practice.
About the Curators:
Christina Massey, a visual artist and independent curator, worked closely with Jo on her studio practice for nearly 8 years. Laurie Berg, a dance artist, curator and organizer, worked with Jo to initiate the creation of her archive in 2015 and is the director of Before Your Eyes Inc. Stephanie Acosta joined the team as an experimental archivist and is a multidisciplinary artist interested in lost legacies.
Produced by:
Anna Adams Stark, a producer and performer, produced the first iteration of the Jo Andres exhibition as part of SPRING/BREAK Art Show 2023. HandyQueers has been the day job and business project of performers / creatrixes lily gold and opal ingle since 2018.
Special Thanks:
Produced by Anna Adams Stark
Production Support by the HandyQueers
Production Management by Christine Sikking
Photography by Sam Morgan
Amazing gratitude to Sara Driver, Kasey Karinen, BjornQorn
