Art & Culture Program Current Exhibitions

Albany International
Airport Gallery
Lit
March 28-September 13, 2015
Public reception: Friday, April 10, 5:30-7:30 pm
For the artists featured here, light is a pivotal
component in their work. It is used to create
illusions, and mark the passage of time. It
imbues landscapes and objects with character,
and reveals events both sublime and fleeting.
Through art, we are reminded that light is
remarkable, whether its source is an LED or
the moon, the glow of fire or paint on a brush.
Through art, we are compelled to see the world
as lit.
Yael Erel
Scott Nelson Foster
Jared Handelsman
Larry Kagan
lightexture
Victoria Palermo
Ken Ragsdale
Ken Ragscale,
The Corps of
Discovery II /
The Schoolyard in
Summer
Yael Erel, Moon Record (installation view)
Scott Nelson Foster, Real and Imaginary Houses 8 of 20
Victoria Palermo, Can’t and Won’t
Larry Kagan, Young Mao, Ché
Site-Specific Installations
Stairwell to third floor and
Albany International Airport Gallery
Up and Down
Victoria Palermo
Wood, cast acrylic, dichroic film
2015
Climbing this staircase is the earthbound version of
air travel – ascending and descending, arriving and
departing. The artist conceived this sculpture as a
fantastical counterpart to the existing architecture,
and invites us to imagine where these iridescent
steps might lead.
What lends this piece its magical qualities is the
application of dichroic film to the clear acrylic steps.
When lit, these combined materials produce the
mother-of-pearl-like flashes of color and reflection
that change with the movement of the viewer.
While flying high above, those gazing out their
small windows might see something similar in
the passing clouds and glinting sunlight.
First floor, ticketing
Traveling Light
Jessica Houston
Colored, transparent vinyl film
2014
The application of tinted vinyl to eight round windows, as well as the clerestory windows directly above
the ticket counters transforms the exsisting light within the terminal. As the projections shift with the time
of day and season, we are reminded of our own position upon a spinning planet.
First floor, ticketing
The Sky Starts at the Ground
Derek Parker
In this work, composed
of nylon seatbelt material,
the artist considers the
kinship between the
curve of an aircraft’s
passage between
destination points, and
the rise and fall of the
land itself as it appears
to the airborne traveler.
Concourse B
Chasing the Sky
Roberley Bell
The meandering path of a
child’s bead chase toy is
presented here on a grand
scale, to be contemplated
from the playfully proportioned
lounge below. Against a vivid
blue, the rapid course of softly
rounded, irregular balls is
momentarily suspended, just
long enough for us to imagine
their passage, and then perhaps
reflect upon our own.
Concourse A Gallery
Empire
William Mebane
and Martin Hyers
Over a three-year span,
Martin Hyers and Will
Mebane traversed the US
in classic road-trip style.
Along the way they were
permitted to photograph
the most personal
possessions of complete
strangers as well as
objects in the public
realm. The result is a
collection of photographs
titled Empire, a selection
of which is presented here.
Houses
William Mebane
and Martin Hyers
Mebane and Hyers
subsequently developed
the series, Houses, in
which, like Empire, they
sought to document a slice
of life in middle-America.
Annex Gallery
Night Train
William Gill
William Gill illuminates trains
at night as they cross towns,
rural farmland and waterways.
To make these photographs,
Gill considers train schedules,
consults with landowners and
observes the terrain. After
locating the best vantage point,
in the dark, with gear in tow,
Gill waits. In the moments of
the train’s passage, the artist
selectively lights portions of
the scene, revealing vivid colors
and details that the night would
otherwise obscure.
Exhibition Case Program
Munson Williams Proctor Art Institute, Utica, NY
Rensselaer County Historical Society, Troy, NY
The Albany International Airport Art & Culture Program
Sharon Bates, Director
Kathy Greenwood, Curatorial Assistant
518.242.2241
arts@albanyairport.com
Art Update 2015