"“Who gets to celebrate this anniversary? Who does it actually matter to?” questioned Smith during our discussion. This very question lies at the heart of this Biennial's realization as a temporal space wherein regional artists have brought the power of their inquiry to bear through a web of potent and politicized works."
"“The whole show is supposed to be like a syllabus,” Smith explained, pointing out that the visual component of this offering is meant to lead visitors “to more and more information-and you can go as deep as you want to in any direction.”"
"The core exhibition wraps around Oregon Contemporary's space, filling three rooms with an array of many mediums. The range includes a massive installation of documents and vintage televisions called The Center for Injustice by Taishona Carpenter and Teressa Raiford (The Black Gallery & Don't Shoot PDX); a vivid book by James Enos that retells and re-illustrates the Disney's 1996 film The Hunchback of Notre Dame; fifty mechanical clocks sourced by DeepTime Collective; and a slowly decaying bust made from Velveeta cheese by Ash Stone."
"Smith explained the nuances of the Biennial title: The Price of the Ticket. The phrase comes from the title of an essay by James Baldwin that was meant to grow into a book about America post-Civil Rights era, yet never came to be. “'The price of the ticket' has"
The biennial centers on the question of who gets to celebrate a national anniversary and who it actually matters to. The exhibition is designed as a “syllabus,” guiding visitors toward increasing information and allowing them to go deeper in any direction. The show occupies Oregon Contemporary’s space across three rooms and presents multiple media forms. Works include an installation of documents and vintage televisions titled The Center for Injustice, a re-illustrated book based on Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame, mechanical clocks sourced by DeepTime Collective, and a slowly decaying Velveeta cheese bust. The title connects to James Baldwin’s essay “The Price of the Ticket,” linked to an unrealized book about America after the Civil Rights era.
Read at Oregon ArtsWatch * Arts & Culture News
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