OHT Gallery Boston

Previous Exhibits

Antiphony

Carolanna Parlato - Painting
Ray Rapp - Video

April 4 - 26, 2008
Reception: Friday, April 4, 5:30-7:30pm

O·H+T Gallery is pleased to present Antiphony, an exhibition of painting by Carolanna Parlato, and video installation by Ray Rapp. Parlato and Rapp (who are married) have exhibited individually at O·H+T Gallery for several years. During visits to their studios and home in Brooklyn, we've observed how well Parlato's paintings and Rapp's video pieces work together. This exhibition brings their work into the gallery and examines the chemistry that takes place when these two artists share a space.

The exhibition title, Antiphony, is a musical term for a choral piece in which one vocal group sings in response to another. Chosen by the artists, this title is an apt analogy for the relationship between Parlato's and Rapp's work. Some visual parallels in their work are apparent. Rapp and Parlato both use synthetic, Pop colors. Their mutual liking for humorous imagery can be seen in Parlato's oozing bio-morphic shapes (top right) and Rapp's Muybridgesque golfers, skateboarders, and runway models (bottom right). The optical interaction of abutting colors in Parlato's paintings initiates a pulsing movement that is not unlike the mechanical action of Rapp's video figures, and both artists are clearly committed to revealing their processes. Parlato's paintings are testimonials to her ability to mix and pour paint, while Rapp's miniature video screens are suspended from the electrical cords that power them.

However, the connection between Carolanna Parlato's paintings and Ray Rapp's videos transcends the obvious. Like the mutual, unspoken language of twins, the relationship between their work is something that has developed over time and within a shared environment. One becomes aware of a low volume, though persistent, exchange taking place here. It may be more along the lines of a Cole Porter song ("You say tomato and I say tomahto...") than a Gregorian chant, but it's still a duet.

Carolanna Parlato and Ray Rapp live and work in Brooklyn. They are both established, New York artists who have exhibited their work nationally and internationally. This is their first joint exhibition at O·H+T Gallery.