“Elephant” Sarah Hurwitz; “The Follower” John Babbitt
Sarah Hurwitz
“An Elephant Never Forgets”
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John Babbitt
“Recycled Ideas & Behaviors”
November 21-December 13
Opening reception: Third Friday, November 21, 6-9pm
Closing reception: First Friday, December 5, 6-10pm
Sarah Hurwitz doesn’t want us to forget the elephant in the room. After several widely acclaimed exhibitions as a member of the eye lounge artist collective and interactive public art commissions for Scottsdale Public Art and Roosevelt Row, Arizona native Hurwitz makes her Modified Arts debut with “An Elephant Never Forgets.” Centered around a room-sized elephant sculpture, the artist’s work spirals outward from there-“recalling” the memories of the elephant in a series of fantastical drawings which will envelope the gallery’s front room. While memory is vital to this body of work, it is truly the imagination which allows Hurwitz’s work to take off and grab the viewer.
Represented by Art One Gallery in Scottsdale, Arizona-based artist John Babbitt paints on personal battles with societal standards with a biting slash of humor. Amidst an onslaught of recycled ideas and cultural checklists, Babbitt works with, against, and through the requirements of society for success and growth, documenting the vital, individualized transition from childhood into adulthood. Primitivist figures sit front-and-center, commanding attention for either their mute expressions, or grotesque confusions. The paintings’ at-times-anarchic nature points to the conflict we all face as we determine our paths forward. Mixing brand-new works with those the artist has himself recycle and altered, Babbitt moves constantly forward, grappling with pressures from all sides along the way.
*John Babbitt will be donating all proceeds from his art sales during this month’s show to One-N-Ten, a local not-for-profit organization dedicated to serving and assisting LGBTQ youth by providing empowering social and service programs that promote selfâexpression, selfâacceptance, leadership development and healthy life choices.
Gallery Hours:
Local First Arizona staff:
Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Gallery staff:
First Friday, 6-10 p.m.
Third Friday, 6-9 p.m.
Saturday, 12-4 p.m.
Or by appointment, scheduled by E-mail.
Modified Arts
407 E. Roosevelt St.
Phoenix, AZ 85004
www.modifiedarts.org
