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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Object Space Gallery features cutting-edge art

Jennifer LaRue

Artist Salvador Dali is best remembered for his bizarre images as well as his antics.

Once he delivered a lecture wearing a deep-sea diving suit explaining “I just wanted to show that I was ‘plunging deeply’ into the human mind.” Today, Dali’s work is well-known and sought after.

Bruce Hormann, owner of Object Space Gallery, 1818 1/2 E. Sprague Ave., recalls a once-local artist named John Bisbee whom Hormann mentions in his MySpace blog.

“When Bisbee left Spokane after his space downtown skyrocketed from $350 to $2,500 per month and a full page ad in Modern Painters announced his residency in a high-profile gallery in New York,” Horman said, “I realized I did not need to be looking downtown for any examples of culture.”

As Dali gained recognition for his unique work, so did Bisbee, who now shows in museums and whose work is in the personal collection of actress Glenn Close.

Hormann refers to Bisbee often, confirming the purpose of his east Spokane gallery and the shows he hosts that include performance art like Dali’s deep sea diving performance and work by unknown and perhaps controversial artists.

“The reality of the range of human experiences is pretty wide and it is represented in high art circles as cutting-edge art,” he said, explaining that cutting-edge art is normal in other cities and countries though nearly absent in Spokane, a fact he is attempting to change through his involvement in local community development and his events at Object Space.

On Friday, next Saturday and Feb. 14, Object Space will be alive with the works of more than a dozen artists. Most of them have never shown in a gallery setting and some of the work may be, like Dali’s, considered bizarre.

Experimental multimedia artist Michelle Horning explains her art as “not art for ‘pretty’s sake.’ It deals with the dark side of life, including abuse, addiction, domestic violence, mental illness and the process of dealing with such strong emotions.” Horning will be doing a performance piece next Saturday.

Other performance artists include Lydia Quinones and Tom Moore, and Hormann will be performing a piece called “Leisure Time in Ontological Context” on Friday which he said will involve an installation piece and audience participation. His large mixed-media pieces also will be on display.

Potter, painter and DJ Josh Jaklich will be showing his work and supplying abstract sounds to accompany Quinones’ performance and groove-oriented beats for visitors on Feb. 14.

Other artists involved include Tiffany Patterson and photographer Anthony Lujan. Ryan Babcock will be displaying his sexually charged paintings and Oregon artist Terence Healy will show his series that he describes as “a graphic description of heartache.”

Bizarre to some, lovely or signs of the times to others, and chock-full of honest human expression, the displays and performances are sure to encourage dialogue among viewers.

The Verve is a weekly feature celebrating the arts. If you know an artist, dancer, actor, musician, photographer, band or singer, contact correspondent Jennifer LaRue by e-mail at jlarue99@hotmail.com