CURATED BY THE FUEL & LUMBER CO.

FEATURING WORK BY: DAVID ONRI ANDERSON | KATHERINE BRADFORD | KRISTA CLARK | MATTHEW F. FISHER | LONNIE HOLLEY | OSAMU KOBAYASHI | SHONA MACDONALD | ROB MAZUREK AND LEE ANNE SCHMITT | KEIKO NARAHASHI | BARB SMITH

Many of us have spent the better part of 2020 living with fear, anxiety, anger and  sadness, often trying to maintain a sense of self and normalcy by gazing into a screen  for companionship. We watch as our country is torn apart by a vicious virus, a racial  reckoning long past due, and a political divide so deep it’s hard to imagine how we will  ever be able to mend.  

 (I just left myself …) 

Seeking some kind of refuge, something tangible, we look to nature for a connection to  the greater, living thing that we are all a part of. We look to move outside of the frame,  outside the walls of the spaces we inhabit, outside of our own bodies.  

 (Float, Fly, Transcend…) 

The title of this exhibition is borrowed from the Terry Allen song I Just Left Myself :  

Well, I just left myself today / Hell, I couldn’t wait to get away / There’s a smear across the mirror / That I have been / But it won’t reflect on me again… 

‘Cause I just left myself today / Yeah, I just packed me up and went away/  I did not float, I did not fly, I did not transcend / No, I just walked out on me  again… again. 

Making projections into an unknown future can be a dangerous business. As we deal  with feelings of impending doom, we create space(s) for self-preservation in an  attempt to meet the moment when it arrives. Until then, we remain suspended in space  and time. As it relates to the works in this exhibition, the title is employed as an  affirmation rather than a negation. Float, Fly, Transcend.

COVID-19 PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES: 

To protect staff and patrons alike, Alabama Contemporary requires a mask and social distancing in the galleries. We’ve also amended our hours, are waiving admission, and placing limits on capacity. For more information on our COVID-19 opening policy go here. We encourage everyone to be safe and socially conscious as we all learn to move forward through this together.

OPENING RECEPTION: JANUARY 21, 2021 @ 6PM

Generous funding for this exhibition and related programming is provided by: