Recent economic chaos has laid bare the tentative framework that supports America’s culture of consumption. The auto industry, the quintessential symbol of the pioneering American spirit, has all but collapsed. The imminent scarcity and desperate search for new sources of oil, the essential nutrient of our economy, has raised the specter of social conflict on a global scale. Meanwhile, much of the U.S. populace is staying home, ordering in and watching reality TV. These developments lead us to ask where we – as individuals, as a nation and as a species – are going? Are we stuck? How does one get from one place to the next, anyway? And most importantly, perhaps, where exactly do we hope to arrive? These concerns set the stage for this year’s theme at Proteus Gowanus.

High altitude pressure suit and Paula Hayes' Living Necklace

Please join us for TRANSPORT, an exploration through art, artifacts, books and events of How We Get There in the never-ending journey toward our destinations. Transport is a three-phase exhibit: Phase I began in September, 2009, Phase II opened on February 20, 2010 and Phase III opened on June 12.  Throughout, we host events related to our theme.

The first round of TRANSPORT participants included:

Kevin T. Allen
William Allen
Aurora Andrews
Paul Benney
Diane Bertolo
Susan Bouchard
Ellen Driscoll Laure Drogoul
Charles Goldman
David Mahfouda
Peter Reich
Allen Riley
Chris Piazza
Lance Rutledge
Jeffrey Schiff
Friese Undine
James Walsh
Barbara Westermann

On Saturday, February 20, 2010 at 6 pm, the Transport exhibit entered Phase II of our exploration.  Phase II explores transportative themes of falling, rising, rolling and changing perspective in our continually evolving exhibition of art, artifacts and books.

Transport: Phase II participants include:

Sarah Beaumont
Diane Bertolo
Gordon Fearey
Charles Goldman
Laura Greig
Carolyn Lambert & Siobhan Rigg
Jeanne Liotta
Robyn Love
David Mahfouda & Allen Riley
Lance Rutledge
Cyrus  Saint Amand Poliakoff
Julia Solis & Ars Subterranea
Tony Stanzione
Allison Termine
Mose Tolliver
Quito Zeigler & Ariel Federow
Lisa Young

On June 12, 2010, we launched Transport Phase III, an exhibit curated by the group Underwater NY, with work ranging from paintings to letterpress prints to stories in bottles, from photographs to artist books to installations, all inspired by things found in and around the waterways of New York City. Underwater New York is a creative conduit between artists and a landscape of underwater objects and phenomena, encouraging a new consideration of the waters that surround, splice and serve our city. Extracting directly from the arteries of transportation that have shaped New York since its start, UNY invites artists to imagine previously unconsidered depths.

Phase III Participants:

Adrian Kinloch
Kris Percival
Colette Murphy
Dan Selzer
Nicole Haroutunian
Jill Allyn Peterson
Rick Caruso
Nate Dorr
Roger Borg
Deborah Sabat
Nura Qureshi
Rose Nestler
Sarah Mostow
Kira Sexton
Matthea Harvey

Alex Dimitrov
Aldina Vazao Kennedy
Kate Overgaard
Nicole Miller
Ben Greenman
Tom McCarthy
Kathryn Davis
Robert Lopez
Deb Olin Unferth
James McClosky
Michelle Wildgen
David Hollander

Our 2009/10 TRANSPORT co-curator is David Mahfouda.

Transport Exhibit

Conveyor, a site-specific performance created for our opening night reception for TRANSPORT, offered our guests a new way of arriving. Paul Benney, one third of the performance collective TRYST, borrowed from the group’s signature piece, “Assisted Street Crossing”, to transport guests down the alley into the gallery.