SUSAN BYRNES: Lightness and Weight
The Dr. Robert L. Brandt, Jr. Family Gallery
The Eichelberger Video Gallery
The Ira & Susan Thomsen Family Gallery
JAN 17 – APR 12, 2025
The Contemporary Dayton is proud to present new work by Susan Byrnes, a sculptor and audio producer who most often uses her work to challenge and reflect on the burdens of sexism and the resilience of the female body. Drawing in part from the seemingly disparate cultural touchstones of Milan Kundera’s novel “The Unbearable Lightness of Being” and the MGM musical, “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers,” the exhibition explores themes of individual freedom versus societal expectations, the weight of choices, and the search for meaning in relationship.
In addition to sound and sculptural installations employing cast iron, tulle, artificial hair, glass, smoke, and video, the exhibition also serves as the occasion to premiere a new partnership with WYSO 91.3 FM, the flagship National Public Radio (NPR) member station for the region, to produce the next season of Studio Visit, a six-episode podcast about Miami Valley contemporary artists and the ideas that inspire their work. Produced by Byrnes, the series will feature interviews with women artists across various media and backgrounds.
Byrnes is a Cincinnati-based visual artist whose diverse body of work spans sculpture, multimedia installation, radio broadcasts, writing, and curatorial projects. Her work has been exhibited in galleries and museums across the Midwest, including the Korean Cultural Center of Chicago, the Dayton Art Institute, and the Weston Gallery, Cincinnati.
Susan Byrnes was awarded the Ohio Arts Council’s Artist Opportunities Grant for FY2024.
OPENING NIGHT / JAN 17, 2025
Members Preview with the Artist 5-6 pm / Public Reception 6-8 pm
ARTIST TALK & PERFORMANCE EVENT / MAR 7, 2025
6:30 – 8pm / Doors open at 6pm /The Tank at the Dayton Arcade
Susan Byrnes with writer JoEllen Kwiatek; followed by a live dance performance in the gallery choreographed by Nicola Conraths Resto for Byrnes’ installation “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers”, performed by Katie Moorhead with original music for piano composed and performed by Luis Resto.
STUDIO VISIT LISTENING PARTY / MAR 28, 2025
6:30 – 8pm / Listening begins at 7pm
Gather with us to hear a works-in-progress session of WYSO’s Studio Visit, featuring segments of artist and radio producer Byrnes’ interviews with six women artists and arts professionals.
Sponsors
Presenting Sponsor:
The Charles D. Berry Foundation
Presenting Partner:
Barbara S. Swank in Honor of Cynthia J. Shook
Education & Public Program Partner:
Dr. Robert L. Brandt, Jr. and 91.3 / WYSO
Digital Strategy Partner:
Catapult Creative
Hospitality Partner:
Gather by Ghostlight