Artist Statement:

Through collage, assemblage, and film, David Henry and Sue Murad explore the shifts in visual perception between a figure at rest and a figure in motion. They engage with the impact of time (suspended, manipulated, and real) on their collection of images, objects, and choreographic prompts.

Henry, a photographer, educator and curator, and Murad, a performance artist and filmmaker, first met on a project at Old North Church led by Sue and choreographer, Jenna Pollack. During that time, they discovered a shared interest in the absurd, and the way unexpected actions and arrangements disrupt our thought processes and activate our imaginations.

Over the past year, they met regularly in each other's studios, creating work inspired by monthly word prompts like figure/ground, fact/feeling, and faith/desire. The original prompt, still/moving, represents each of their primary approaches to art making and became the parameters for developing work for this show.

Bios:

Sue Murad (b.1974) develops an intuitive language with moving pictures, common objects and found narratives, re-contextualizing these cultural artifacts through her interdisciplinary practice of performance, installation, sculpture, collage, and film. She is a Massachusetts Cultural Council Fellow in Choreography with recent endeavors including performing at the FADO Performance Art Centre in Toronto; directing a film created from a year-long residency at Boston’s historic Old North Church; and launching The New Garden, an art book pairing a contemporary magazine with the biblical story of Genesis.  Past collaborations include her time as a member of the pop synth band, UV Projection (2004-2007) and artist residencies with Reciprocity Collaborative at Jacob's Pillow and the Museum of Fine Arts Boston. Sue works as a videographer in Boston and has a BFA in Sculpture from Massachusetts College of Art and Design. www.suemurad.com @muradsue

David Henry (b. 1952) works with photography and collage to create images that are simultaneously dissonant and unified, truthful and impossible, beautiful and decayed.  The collage hand work requires sustained looking, and the resultant works are intended to provide a space for the viewer’s mind to wander, question and wonder.  Much of his work is made collaboratively with performers, particularly dancers and choreographers.   He has been deeply influenced by a 40-year career working in art museums as an educator and a curator where he worked to ensure that the artist’s voice was central to the museum experience.  He worked at the International Museum of Photography in Rochester, NY; Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, MN; The RISD Museum in Providence, RI; and, between 2004 and 2018, the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston.  At the ICA he was responsible for building and implementing the education, performing arts, and media programs when it moved to the Seaport.   As the Bill T. Jones Director of Performing and Media Arts he directed the ICA’s performing Arts program between 2006 and 2018.  He has an MFA from the State University of New York’s Visual Studies Workshop.www.djhenry.net. 

Press Release

www.suemurad.com

www.djhenry.net