 Lounge 2, 2002 Watercolor 6' 5" x 3' 5" |
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click on the thumbnails above for a larger image
Artist Statement
Singing activates desire. Make labor less dull, celebrate nationalism, condemn
an unfaithful lover... Without occasion (birthday) or site (place of worship),
singing would be entirely private and mobile. Opera houses, churches, and nightclubs
are established venues for particular kinds of singing. But, an aria can be
sung anywhere. The singing alone does not create a specific location. My work
seeks to address the architectural and cultural parameters that define a site
for singing. In particular, I am interested in how a congregation corals the
psychological space of singing as it manifests into moments of intense emotional
candor.
Currently, I have been video documenting and physically altering karaoke boxes in Japan in order to investigate and challenge the preexisting interior design conditions that house karaoke space. In Japan, karaoke amusement facilities structurally resemble hotels. Proprietors rent out individual rooms congested off of long hallways to various sized parties. I transform these sites by adding materials fitting a particular theme related to comfort and remove furnishings or sound equipment for karaoke participants to encounter. In watercolor, I compose multiple composite views taken from video stills of karaoke boxes to broaden and flatten out the perspective. I also manipulate wallpaper patterns and simulate areas with video pixelation. My intention in both practices is to expand the site for singing into a virtual realm of psychological space.
Education
Michelle Provenzano
2002
CCA,
Center of Contemporary Art Research Program, Japan
1999
MFA - Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers
University, New Jersey
1993
BFA - Washington University, School of Fine Arts,
St. Louis, Missouri
Selected Exhibitions
| 2002 | The
Art Faculty, Raritan Valley Community College, Somerville, New Jersey Deluxe, First Street Gallery, Jersey City, New Jersey Void Archive, CCA Project Gallery, Fukuoka, Japan, Curator: Akiko Miyake Snow Day, City Karaoke, Kitakyushu Japan Sites For Singing, CCA Gymnasium, Kitakyushu, Japan |
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| 2001 |
Marking the Territory,
Irish Museum of Modern Art, Library, Dublin, Ireland, Curator: Marina
Abramovic |
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| 1999 | Voice
Collection, Elevator Project, Art-In-General, New York, New York Longing, MGSA Gallery, New Brunswick, New Jersey |
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| 1998 | American
Drawing Biennial 6 , Muscarelle Museum of Art, Williamsburg, Virginia,
Curator: Ann Philbin MGSA Faculty & Graduate MFA Exhibition, MGSA Gallery, New Brunswick, NJ |
Awards
| 2001-02 | CCA International Fellowship, Japan | |
| 1999 | Nadine Goldsmith Fellowship, Vermont Studio Center | |
| 1998 | Artist Residency, Frans Masareel Atelier, Belgium | |
| 1997-98 | Graduate Fellowship, Mason Gross School of the Arts | |
| 1993 | Miles
Rutlin Purchase Award, National Juried Exhibition, Printmaking Further Southern Prize, Washington University, Juror: Bernice Steinbaum |
Collections
City Karaoke, Kitakyushu, Japan
Void Archive, Fukuoka, Japan
Flemish Cultural Ministry, Belgium
Center of Contemporary Art, St. Louis, Missouri
The Law Firm of Shanks and Herbert, Alexandria, Virginia
The Law Firm of Scott Bernstein, St. Louis, Missouri
Publications
Talking Politics - Jersey City Studio Tour Artist Profile, New Jersey
Cable Channel 51
2001-2002 CCA Research Program Catalogue
Deluxe Catalogue, orangesideout.com, essay by Tom McGlynn
Contact
Information
252 Whiton Street, First Floor
Jersey City, NJ 07304
(646) 456-1886
Email: mcprovenzano@hotmail.com
