SeeSAW | Nathaniel Russell and Louis M Schmidt
SeeSAW
An exhibition of new work by Nathaniel Russell and Louis M Schmidt
April 3–May 30, 2021
Opens April 3, by appointment
These Days is pleased to present SeeSAW, a two-person exhibition bringing together the work of Nathaniel Russell and Louis M Schmidt. Featuring paintings, drawings, prints, found objects and photographs from each artists’ personal collections, as well as a brand-new collaborative publication that was the impetus behind the exhibition, SeeSAW is a sort of midwestern yin/yang, a dialogue between friends who share a deep concern for human equilibrium- the balancing of pain and grief with joy and humor, a concern for our individual and collective well-being, a concern with the equitable distribution of power. Russell and Schmidt are also excited to present a small group exhibition curated within SeeSAW, featuring works by artist friends in conversation with the exhibition’s themes.
The seesaw, a ubiquitous playground object of both artists’ midwestern childhoods, has been conjured here as an instrument through which to witness humanity’s eternal struggle of balance and imbalance; between the myriad dualities, binaries, polarities that both draw and bind us together but also rip and cast us apart. To play upon a seesaw is to engage in both a balancing act and an exchange of agency. One person descends so the other may rise, one only rises as the other falls, in perpetuity. One always falling, one always rising. Engaged but static, a seesaw connects its humans on a level playing field. Once in motion, the (im)balance of power ignites itself into action. Is this exchange a battle of wills, or a sharing of high and low? How does the dynamic function with disproportionately weighted sides? Should we dismiss the seesaw for the merry-go-round, or would spinning in circles just make us more sick?
participating artists:
Michelle Blade
Thomas Campbell
Kris Chau
CJ Coccia
Michael Dumontier
Cody Hudson
Rich Jacobs
Chris Johanson
Johanna Jackson
Tim Kerr
Michael Krueger
Lookout & Wonderland
Brian Lotti
Tucker Nichols
Casey O'Connell
Shaun O’Connor
Lydia Maria Pfeffer
Johanna St. Clair
Ruben Ortiz Torres
Chris Vorhees
Andrew Martin Scott
Erin Bowers
Joel Rockey
+ more to be announced