Christopher Albert, Liam Goodman, Peter Iannarelli and Matt Kenyon
Matteawan Gallery presents Drive-Thru, a group exhibition featuring work by Christopher Albert, Liam Goodman, Peter Iannarelli, and Matt Kenyon. An opening reception will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Aug. 10. The exhibition runs through Aug. 31, and features sculpture, multi-media works, and video. On the night of the opening, Goodman will also present The First Annual Fast Food Training Film Festival, which includes training films from the 70s and 80s.
The four artists in this exhibition respond to fast food in different ways. Kenyon’s video Meat Helmet is a critical look at the fast food industry that addresses health issues and fast food nutritional value. Kenyon invented a helmet to aid in chewing a hamburger that also burns calories. The person wearing the helmet would have to chew for eight hours to burn off the calories from one Big Mac.
Iannarelli takes common household objects and transforms them into works of art, focusing on their form and design. His works made of plastic spoons and forks melted together are playful and clever abstract sculptures. The spoons and forks also remind the viewer of the waste in fast food restaurants.
Albert examines his relationship to fast food and is interested in the transformation of materials. Albert collected McDonald’s cheeseburger wrappers and sewed them together to make collages, as well as a shirt. He cast an actual hamburger in plaster and wrapped it in red and white striped fabric that resembles Ronald McDonald’s or Wendy’s costume, but which can also be seen as an American flag. The modified burger wrappers are a commentary on the American fast food industry, in which image is everything and food is secondary.
Goodman’s montages of old fast food television commercials are enjoyable as pure kitsch and bring back memories of watching TV as a child. As a commercial photographer and a child of the 80s, Goodman is fascinated by the role advertising plays in our world. Seeing what goes on professionally has made him cynical of advertising, yet it is difficult for him to not feel nostalgic.
Fast food is a complicated subject that touches on health, economics, jobs, and other issues.
The gallery is located at 464 Main St., Beacon. Hours are noon to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday and Sunday by appointment. Visit matteawan.com or call 845-440-7901.
