Contemporary Ruin future visions

curated by Nancy Agati
April 15 – May 22

Curatorial Statement:

The remains of ancient ruins, often romanticized vestiges of the past, require a vivid imagination to fill in what was once there. Contemporary Ruin future visions features artists, designers, and Drexel University students whose works confront, with perspective and perseverance, multiple definitions of ruin. The show highlights ruin, not as a relic or the past but as a present-day reality, in which artists have responded to Philadelphia’s forgotten spaces and abandoned neighborhood, climate change hazards, and unchecked over-development. Extending beyond our city borders, themes in the exhibition explore a potential future in ruin, questioning contemporary definitions of progress, technological advancements, and capitalist pursuits.

Contemporary Ruin future visions examines the pervasive presence of ruin and poses futuristic scenarios while offering visual propositions for mitigation and resilience within an urban environment. The exhibition assembles a compilation of vivid descriptive images, dramatic sculptural forms, life size installations, and moving multimedia works. The artist’s collective experiences of the past, present and speculative perspectives on the future lead the viewer through the space with an invitation to reconsider and work to redesign our built public and community spaces.

Featured Artists:Mia Fabrizio, Yannick Lowery, Michelle Marcuse, Tim Portlock, Terri Saulin, Emily Erb, Joseph E.B. Elliott, Jennifer Johnson, Julia Way, Sophie C. White, Kelsey Skaroff, Daniel Van Dyk, Helen Mayer Harrison (1927 - 2018) and Newton Harrison (1932 - 2022)

Additional projects: Drexel University Master of Science in Interior Design students.

Programming:

• Opening Reception: Friday, April 25, 5–7pm. Many of the artists will be in attendance this evening
• Seed bomb workshop: Friday, May 9, 2–4pm, led by associate clinical professor Denise Wolf.
• Closing Reception: Thursday, May 22, 5–7pm.

Note: This exhibition was selected from the 2024-2025 Open Call for Proposals by our Gallery
Advisory Committee: Nick Cassway, Dave Hannon, Jenna Gilley, Heather Moqtaderi, Diana Nicholas, Jess Polk, Klara Proffen, Alexandra Schmidt-Ullrich, Mark Stockton, Denise Wolf, and Ricardo Zapata.