R & R : Paul Gagner: Calamityville
R & R is pleased to present our inaugural exhibition, Calamityville, a solo installation of sculptures by Paul Gagner. Over the last few years, Gagner has been making birdhouses as a way to create art for the natural world. Previous “houses” share a similar playful reinterpretation on the traditional A-frame structure, for instance taking the form of a plated rotisserie chicken or a partly deflated party balloon, here Gagner has created an interlocking architecture akin to a small town or village. Each of the infrastructure staples—schoolhouse, library, movie theater—is beset by its own tragedy, ranging from the ironic to the absurd.
Calamityville continues Gagner’s practice of using whimsy and humor to diffuse the tension of foreboding and unease. While past paintings have focused more on the inner anxieties of artist—humorously-titled self-help books promising curious career advice, figuratively deconstructed and literally dismembered self-portraits—this series speaks to larger, more universalized anxieties, albeit suffused with a commensurate helping of goofy melodrama.
About R & R
R & R is a collaborative programming initiative of CHART, New York and Marvin Gardens, Ridgewood Queens. Located at 1548 Decatur Street, adjacent to Marvin Gardens, R & R will present a series of outdoor sculpture exhibitions, providing a platform for artists whose main practice is working with three-dimensional form or installation.
