Quote:

God forbid, one should actually take a walk and just stop in. Though that would mean getting up off the couch and actually venturing out through the front door.

We've been extremely gratified by the enthusiastic reception Curious Matter has received locally and beyond. Our mission to foster dialogue among artists at all career stages and to open a door to the appreciation of contemporary art in an atmosphere that encourages engagement and curiosity comes vividly to life with the work of the twenty six artists of Between Worlds. The show is a captivating inquiry, and an absolutely exquisite collection of work.

Even if you've already visited, please join us for a special reception for the artists this Sunday, October 5, 3:00 to 6:00pm.

(Also, continue to let us know when you've seen Curious Matter in the news and online, many thanks!)

CURIOUS MATTER
272 Fifth Street, JC NJ
regular hours during exhibitions:
Sundays noon to 3pm and by appointment

Special hours during the JC Artist's Studio Tour:
Saturday, noon to 6pm and Sunday, noon to 6pm

For more information:
curiousmatter.blogspot.com
201-659-5771

Allow me to take that cue and introduce a group art exhibit I am curating as part of the Jersey City Pro Arts Studio Tour.

Prime Surreal Estate will feature works from Skot Olsen, Anthony Ausgang, Clark Fox, Mark Dean Veca, Mike Bertino, Steve Cerio, an installation by Ron English, and more...

Complete information, along with a few of the pieces, can be found at:

www.myspace.com/popsurreal

There will be artwork available on many price levels.

I'd like to suggest that the gallery post some (not all) artwork on a website so that prospective buyers can evaluate before heading out.

Sadly, a lot of art in Jersey City is kitschy, and I, for one, am not prepared to take a trip to a gallery without seeing at least a few pieces online.

That is too funny because I was just thinking that I had to stop by to that gallery today and then you posted this. I used to live across the street at 279 and they are great guys. I highly recommend checking it out.

Curious Matter: New Gallery Opening Today, Downtown at 272 Fifth Street

Between Worlds

at Curious Matter
272 Fifth Street
201-659-5771

September 14 - October 19, 2008
Opening: Sunday, September 14, 3 - 6PM


Alyssa Taylor Wendt, Cynthia Holds Salt, 2006, chromogenic print

If you dare to travel Between Worlds, proceed with caution, order is not the rule and you never know what lies ahead, or who lurks behind. The crossroads is a place of choices and the fate inherent in those choices. Alyssa Taylor Wendt, clues us to who may be following as we travel along. Red Riding Hood had to face consequences for exploring and talking to strangers, but this time our heroine may be protected with a charm, and avoid a corrupting fate. Brooke Rogers? pilgrim also symbolizes the adventures of the journey; the physical journey of life or the interior journey of the soul.

Marianne McCarthy alludes that some places would be better avoided. Sebastian Lemm gives us a glimpse of the other side of the gleaming city, the Oz or the humbug that entices or fools when we reach our destination. The wasteland beyond the hedge that separates the wild from the tamed is also a place of superstition. Maureen Foster gives us a peek through the topiary at the savagery crouched behind what we believe is tame. Kikuko Tanaka proffers a beastly scene that may entice or repulse, but will not let us avert our eyes, despite parental warnings.

While Yiftach Belsky cautions that malicious forces can be monitoring us as we continue on our way unaware. The threshold is the division between the haven of our home and the dangers of the great outside world. It is in our best interests to protect this most vulnerable spot from the insanity Richard Metz imagines lying in wait. Anthony Santella enshrines a malocchio which protects the home by reflecting evil back onto itself, confusing it so that it can be conquered and expunged before becoming a true threat.

Some of the artists in this exhibition took a more pragmatic approach to the theme. Yvonne Kleiman builds up layers of pigment, then scratches and gouges through to expose glimpses of what?s underneath. Joan Mellon contemplates dual universes with her juxtaposed blocks of color. While Jamie Marie Waelchli attempts to makes sense of the chaotic, untidy world we live in by creating maps and diagrams to keep things in order. Like lifting a veil, we get to see parts of her whole, but the lowered veil only reveals a hazy view of the entirety. This inability to ever actually see in sharp focus what is going on makes the mystery of the piece its subject.

Ultimately, the adventure of the journey lies not in the straight and narrow or the tried and true. The adventure lies in deviating from those paths and facing the fears that lurk in the shadows. Each of the artists in Between Worlds has cut their own path and in exploring the mysterious places in between has been given and shares their gift of growth and understanding.

Ali Aschman ? Yiftach Belsky ? Ryan Browning ? Arthur Bruso ? Peter H. Everett ? Amy Finkelstein ? Maureen Foster ? Ronald Gonzalez ? Michael Heroux ? Yvonne Kleiman ? Sebastian Lemm ? Ross Bennett Lewis ? Marianne McCarthy ? Joan Mellon ? Richard Metz ?
Raymond E. Mingst ? Jeanne Mischo ? Matt Pych ? Carol Radsprecher ? Brooke Rogers ? Anthony Santella ? Lisa Taliano ? Kikuko Tanaka ? Jamie Marie Waelchli ? Alyssa Taylor Wendt ? John J. Zirkelbach

CURIOUS MATTER Founded by artists for artists, Curious Matter is an exhibition venue for contemporary visual art located in downtown Jersey City. Curious Matter strives to foster dialogue among artists at all career stages with a calendar of regular exhibitions. Our commitment extends to our audience as we endeavor to open a door to appreciating contemporary art in an atmosphere that encourages engagement and curiosity.

http://www.artcal.net/event/view/20/7724