Mark Khaisman and Anne Lindberg open exhibitions at Pentimenti Gallery in Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA, PA.- Mark Khaisman’s new series of works “It is, on the other hand, a very beautiful bag” references his fascination with archetypical objects and their stories. The subject of this series is based on Birkin bags by Hermes. The works play with the iconic object’s reputation of being made of skins from endangered species, high prices and elusiveness.

The Birkin bag is a handbag by Hermés. The bags are handmade in leather and named after the actress and singer Jane Birkin. The bag is a symbol of wealth due to its high price and elusiveness to the public. Its prices range from $ 9,000 to $ 150,000. The costs escalate and vary according to the type of materials the bags are made from. The bags are distributed to Hermès boutiques spontaneously and in limited quantities, creating scarcity and, intended or unintended, exclusivity. The title of the series “It is, on the other hand, a very beautiful bag” is borrowed from endless blog discussions debating whether it is moral or not to buy a handbag of this price, often made out of skins of endangered species.

Anne Lindberg, thread drawing 07, rayon thread, 58 x 51 inches framed, 2011

As a continuation of the artist’s ongoing series of Rococo “Chairs” and “Antique Serapi Rug”, the new series is also playing on confusion between precious objects and pedestrian material of choice, the backlit packing tape. The simple shapes of handbags, their bold colors, mostly red and yellow, and their placement at the bottom of light boxes are referencing both high and low culture: minimalism of Rothko’s mystical squares on one side of the spectrum and the product displays on another side.

Works are presenting the front views of handbags and seem to be dealing with the plain appearance of rather controlled subject matter, yet, the choice of the depicted iconic objects is speaking to the broader themes of contemporary culture like prestige, exclusivity, speculativeness of the value, vanity and elusiveness.

Born in Kiev, Khaisman studied Art and Architecture at the Moscow Architectural Institute, Moscow, Russia. His recent exhibitions are: Wallingford Art Center; Woodmere Art Museum, Philadelphia, PA; Vitra Design Museum, Weil am Rhein, Germany; BYU Museum of Art, Proto, UT; and more. He has been the recipient of many awards and works are found in the collections of: Brandywine Trust Collection, Philadelphia; British Airline Collection, London; Delaware Art Museum, Wilmington; NBC Collection, New York; Vitra Design Museum, Weil am Rhein, Germany; West Collection, Philadelphia, and more.

Anne Lindberg creates passages of tone and density using thread. Her thread drawings are made of colorful strings that are vertically strung. Their linear patterns emit an energetic study of color and motion. Her work depicts a devotion to process and patience. Looking through the layers of thread a shifting color palette altered by subtle lighting and shadow appears. The work also references physiological systems—such as heartbeat, respiration, neural paths, equilibrium—and psychological states.”

In her first solo Philadelphia exhibition, Anne Lindberg will present 5 small thread drawings, 31 x 28 inches and 2 larger thread drawings, 58 x 51 inches. Lindberg frequently returns to the subtle distinctions between drawing as a noun and verb as a long held focus in her studio practice. The thread drawings negotiate optics and ideas through depicting languages. Inspired by neurology, her drawings inhabit a non-verbal place resonant with primal human conditions.

A 2011 Joan Mitchell Foundation Painters and Sculptors grantee, Anne Lindberg exhibited widely throughout the United States and abroad including the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art; The Drawing Center in NYC; Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art; Sheldon Memorial Art Museum; Belger Art Center; The Writer’s Place; Macalester College; North Carolina State University; as well as venues in New Zealand, Quebec and Japan. My work is held in museum and corporate collections including the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art; Spencer Museum of Art; Detroit Institute of Art; Sprint Corporation; Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City; Niwako Kimono Company in Nagoya, Japan; American Century Investments; and H&R Block; in addition to numerous private collections. My newest work has been included in exhibitions at the Tegnerforbundet in Oslo, Norway; SESC Bom Retiro Cultural Center in Sao Paulo, Brazil; America:Now and Here in Kansas City; and Grunwald Gallery at Indiana University. Lindberg’s accolades include a Charlotte Street Foundation Fellowship, two ArtsKC Fund Inspiration grants, a Lighton International Artists Exchange Grant, an American Institute of Architects Allied Arts and Crafts award, and a Mid-American National Endowment for the Arts fellowship. Lindberg holds a Master’s of Fine Arts from Cranbrook Academy of Art and a BFA from Miami University.

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