Multiple choice question: Var is an artist collective, performance venue, gallery, studio space or bar? The correct answer is: All of the above. Owners Renée Navis and Josh Hintz have expanded this concept in a beautifully refinished location in Walker's Point, taking the bones of an old aluminum factory and transforming it into a flexible, friendly place for artists and the public.
The current exhibition, simply titled “Collective Show,” represents the varied practices of 25 artists who have studio space in the building. The work leans heavily toward painting and two-dimensional work, of which there are some very strong offerings. Additionally, there are uniquely intriguing three-dimensional wall-mounted pieces.
To say “steer skull painting” would perhaps suggest imagined shades of Georgia O’Keeffe. That is a far cry from the work of Josh Ebert. His are real skulls, mounted on the wall and painted. Some are adorned with additional things, becoming like combination ritual objects and relief sculptures. In Milwaukee Home on the Range, the Milwaukee Home logo is reimagined as an overlay to bronze tones, framed by horns painted black and floating over a square of chain link fence. It is tough, ironic and an unexpected mix of iconic forms.
Angela Minga’s mounted boxes conjure even more mystery. Wooden packing crates hang on the wall, beckoning with blue light shining through a couple of small holes. Come closer and see the diminutive, dilapidated world of the piece titled The Crow Lady. In one box, a dusty Victorian interior seems to whisper the abandonment of ages. In another, the nocturnal light catches the edges of tired roof shingles and tangled vines where a secretive crow sits. The fact that Minga is constructing these imaginary places on a miniature scale makes the detail and atmosphere of her work all the more impressive.
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“Collective Show” flows through various spaces in Var, thoughtfully placed for cohesion and variety. The preserved architecture of brick walls, wood floors and exposed beams is a departure from the white cube gallery, and the combination of uses represents a new mode for engaging in art of all sorts.
“Collective Show” is on view through Aug. 3 at Var Gallery & Studios (643 S. Second St.).
