Familiar / Unfamiliar

Kevin Mosca, Matthew Bede Murphy, Sue Muskat, Erik Daniel White

Opening Reception
Saturday, Mar. 8, 3-6pm

Bill Arning Exhibitions
3 Hudson Street
Kinderhook, NY 12106

Bill Arning Exhibitions is pleased to present Familiar/Unfamiliar, a group exhibition of works by Kevin Mosca, Matthew Bede Murphy, Sue Muskat, and Erik Daniel White, all artists who use iconography and images that are or seem familiar in unfamiliar ways. The exhibition explores the idea that subversions of familiar images from popular culture, advertising, visual art, and everyday life can penetrate the consciousness of viewers in a uniquely deep way.

Encountering any mundane image can provoke the question, “Have I seen this before?” or “Do I know what this is?” Realizing that one has or does can sometimes bring about a feeling of comfort in the viewer. Yet that feeling of calm can be short-lived if a viewer realizes that something in the image feels off. Closer inspection can reveal anomalies or slight alterations, prompting a doubling-back moment in which we ask, “What is that?” Such an experience allows one to consider both the altered image and the image as we remember it with more intentional inspection.