The Contemporary Dayton Presents Becky Suss: Home, An Exhibition of Paintings That Meditate on How The Memory of Place Forms Identity

DAYTON (January 6, 2023) – The Contemporary Dayton (The Co), presents the work of Philadelphia-based artist, Becky Suss, whose paintings are a meditation on how the memory of place, specifically home, functions as the foundation of identity. Home is presented in the Dr. Robert L. Brandt, Jr. Gallery and is curated by Philadelphia-based art historian Greer Pagano and is on view January 13-March 26, 2023.

Home gathers together a series of paintings from the past six years of Suss’ career. The works come from different stages and projects but together they amount to a holistic investigation into the artist’s remarkably focused depictions of personal, domestic, intimate, and imagined spaces.

The paintings feature deliberately and intellectually crafted rooms, furniture, interior design, cherished objects, and remembered views. Entering the exhibition, the viewers progress through a hallway, past a bookshelf filled to the brim, into a tiled bathroom, and finally through childhood bedrooms. Punctuating the large paintings of spaces are small canvases detailing books, other paintings, or a vase of flowers. We are at home, not our own, but in the idea of home where we can think through what it means to create a narrative of space.

Through the depiction of spaces related to her life and her memories, Suss opens the door to her viewers and asks all of us to consider the reliability of memory, its specificity, oddness, and potential to drift into fantasy. Our memories of home, of past time quickly mix with nostalgia, familiarity, and loss. How much of our memories withstand change in the passage of time and how do we understand the process of recollection and remembrance as we define and create our idea of home?

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Becky Suss was born in Philadelphia where she currently lives and works. She holds a BA from Williams College and an MFA from the University of California, Berkeley. She is a former member of Vox Populi and Space 1026 in Philadelphia. Recent exhibition venues include the ICA Philadelphia, Fleisher/Ollman Gallery (Philadelphia, PA), and The Berman Museum (Collegeville, PA). She is represented by Jack Shainman Gallery and Fleisher/Ollman Gallery.

ABOUT THE GUEST CURATOR
Greer Pagano is an independent curator and educator based in Philadelphia. Most recently she has taught Art History at Moore College of Art and Design and Columbus College of Art and Design. She was previously Chief Curator at the Pizzuti Collection and has also worked at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. She received her PhD in Art History from Ohio State University with a dissertation on the early career of Giuseppe Penone.

SPECIAL PROGRAMS

OPENING NIGHT RECEPTION / FRIDAY, JANUARY 13, 2023

Members Preview: 5–6 p.m.
Artist Talk with Becky Suss and Greer Pagano: 6:30-7 p.m.
Public Reception: 6–8 p.m.
Free admission. Donation bar and light bites.

SPONSORS

Presenting Sponsor: The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual
Presenting Partner: Stene Projects
Arts Education and Program Partner: Dr. Robert L. Brandt, Jr.
Engagement Partners: The Susan Strong & Karen Spina Friends
Production Partner: Mitosis
Media Partner: Dayton Daily News
Hospitality Partners: Sueño & Tender Mercy, Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Dayton

Annual operating support: Culture Works, The Dayton Foundation, The Montgomery County Arts & Cultural District, The National Endowment for the Arts, The Ohio Arts Council, The Virginia W. Kettering Foundation, and Members.

ALSO ON VIEW / Jan 13-Mar 26, 2023

Carmen Winant: The neighbor, the friend, the lover

Yael Bartana: The Undertaker

GALLERY HOURS

Wednesday–Saturday 11 a.m.–6 p.m. Sunday 11 a.m.–4 p.m.

Closed Monday and Tuesday

ALWAYS FREE.

ABOUT THE CONTEMPORARY DAYTON

Mission: To provide art for the community and a community for artists.

Overview: The Contemporary Dayton (The Co) is the region’s contemporary art center. Established in 1991 as The Dayton Visual Arts Center, a 501c3, The Co produces and presents original exhibitions and educational programs, events, community partnerships, and artist opportunities. Exhibitions and education programs feature the most exciting and meaningful work of our time created by artists living and working today, with an emphasis on the artists of Ohio, women artists, and artists of color.

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