6 Sept 2007: For Immediate Releas. Download PDF version.
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1989 Portrait installation by Emily Farranto |
High school identities are blurred by memories into teen archetypes
1989 is an installation of that launches the second season of The Warehouse Gallery's unique showcase for regional artists, The Window Projects. Cazenovia artist Emily Farranto's grid of loosely rendered portraits is viewable all day and night on the busy street of W. Fayette in downtown Syracuse. The blurriness of the faces based on yearbook photographs suggests the muddled realism of memory. Each teen looses her or his individuality, but becomes emblematic of a familiar adolescent type: "Sullen, hopeful, popular, rejected, shy, overweight, pretty, etc.," describes the artist. Moments of collective anticipation and past hopes are presented in these gentle paintings.
Artist Statement: "I recalled pouring over the pages of faces, pausing on unrequited crushes, friends, the occasional tragic photograph of a student who had died sometime after the photograph was taken. I wonder if the institution of the yearbook still exists: With the prevalence of digital cameras, camera phones, Myspace and Facebook pages, has the yearbook lost its status in the world of high school? " – E. Farranto
About the Artist: Emily Farranto received her MFA from Syracuse University in 2003 and currently resides in Cazenovia, NY. She has exhibited her work in solo and group shows in the United States and abroad. Her work is included in the curated registries at the Drawing Center in New York City and the Pierogi2000 Flat Files in Brooklyn.
About The Window Projects: The Warehouse Gallery at Syracuse University offers artists from Central New York a unique opportunity to create an installation for a stunning new venue in downtown Syracuse. Details are available online at www.TheWarehouseGallery.org
The Warehouse Gallery at Syracuse University is a public art gallery exhibiting and commissioning work by contemporary international artists. The gallery's mission is to engage the community in a dialogue regarding the role the arts can play in illuminating the critical issues of our times. It is located on the edge of Armory Square, south of the 81 and 690 highway intersection.
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