| Assemblage artist Philo Northrup began collecting bits and pieces, and gluing them together to suit his fancy, when he was 9 years old and intent on making a birthday present for his brother. Thank goodness he hasn't stopped! The pieces in Philo Northrup's The Male Glaze are from his series called Color Stories, which he began in 2007 and has added to every year since. The show's title, The Male Glaze, plays on the feminist term for patriarchal influence in art on every level, "the male gaze." Twist the words just slightly to acknowledge the high gloss, the "glaze" of Northrup's assemblages, and there you have it—a visual and linguistic pun.
Northrup has many collectors and has exhibited widely in California and other western states, including at the Triton Museum in Santa Clara, SOMArts in SF, and Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions. He has also exhibited in Grenoble, France at the Galerie Jean-Claude David. He co-founded the annual ArtCar Fest and co-created ArtGolf, a series of collaborative installations based on miniature golf. His awards include a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts and a purchase prize from USC Fisher Museum of Art. Guest Curator Susan Hillhouse Leask is an Independent Curator, former Acting Senior Curator at San Jose Museum of Art, and current Adjunct Faculty Member in Art History at California State University Monterey Bay.
The artist has a complex relationship with the toys he finds. In his words, "Toys were never innocent playthings for me. I have always seen them as darker symbols of the culture that made them." As Curator Susan Leask says, "The pieces in this series are both light and dark. Philo acknowledges we all inhabit a somewhat dark and troubled world, yet he remains joyful, kind, and hopeful in spite (or because) of it." Northrup's pieces are well made, shiny, bright, and ready to spark further imagination. The Male Glaze is a treasure trove of imaginary situations and beings with unexpected connections. Viewers may find themselves looking at the world around them in a different, more open way after seeing the show.
To hear Philo Northrup discuss his work with curator Susan Hillhouse Leask, come to the Artist/Curator Talk in the Main Gallery on Sunday, Feb 13, at 3:30 pm. Come early to see an array of Art Cars on display at 2:30pm (weather permitting) between the East and West Galleries!
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Special Event Sun, Feb 13
2:30 pm Art Car Show between the Galleries
3:30 pm Artist/Curator Talk
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Sanchez Art Center is located at 1220 Linda Mar Blvd in Pacifica, about a mile east of Highway 1. Following opening night, the galleries are open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, 1–5 pm, through February 13. For more information, email info@SanchezArtCenter.org, or call 650.355.1894.
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