Created by Dayton native Curtis Mann as an introspective look at faith and art, this work is inspired by “reflections on his childhood attending Parochial schools, his mother’s Catholic funeral services this past May, and the challenges he faced hiding and then embracing his atheism,” according to The Co. “Using a mixture of personal family photographs, found, and AI-generated images, Mann has cut and affixed them to shards of glass to create sculptural collages.”
Mann is a graduate of the University of Dayton, where he worked under the mentorship of Sean Wilkinson, whose work is on view in the aforementioned “Flora.” His work has been exhibited widely, most notably at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, France, the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago.
“Sean Wilkinson: Flora”
The Co says Wilkinson’s ongoing series of photographs, “Flora” (2020-2024) are the artist’s response to the “exuberant vitality of plants, their thrusting and thriving, their boundless energy and raw power, their elegance and grace, their constant changing, and their utter disregard for anything to do with the human world.” He also photographed his work over many seasons at Dayton’s Five Rivers MetroParks, “bringing attention to change, the overlooked, the undisturbed, and how profoundly meditative life can be.”
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Wilkinson is a Distinguished Service Professor and Professor Emeritus at the University of Dayton, where he served as chair of the Department of Visual Arts and as the Graul Endowed Chair in Arts and Languages. He is also the recipient of several Ohio Arts Council and Montgomery County Fellowships among many other awards and prizes. His work has been widely exhibited and housed in more than 25 significant collections as well.
“John Lauer: Demon Heads”
Drawing on fantasy, queer culture and architecture, Lauer creates demon heads out of paper.
“Combining digital and manual techniques, he first models the heads with architectural software, converts them into patterns which he cuts out of paper with a digital cutter, then meticulously assembles them by hand,” according to The Co. “Inspired by natural forms—bones, leaves, shells—demons and horned creatures burst forth from more placid human heads merging into structures that are both intertwined and interdependent symbolizing an inner struggle in conflict with the outside world.
Lauer is an artist and architectural/exhibit designer who lives in a treehouse on the edge of Appalachia. He has a BA in Architecture from Washington University, St. Louis, an MFA in Design from Cranbrook Academy of Art, Bloomfield Hills, MI, and an M.Arch from Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta.
FOTOFOCUS BIENNIAL
“Curtis Mann: Precious Blood” and “Sean Wilkinson: Flora” are part of the 2024 FotoFocus Biennial: “backstories.” Now in its seventh iteration, the Biennial incorporates over 100 projects at museums, galleries, universities, and public spaces throughout Greater Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky, Dayton and Columbus in October.
This year’s theme, “backstories,” concerns “stories that are not evident at first glance. They offer context for what happened previously or out of view, providing narratives not yet told or presented from a new perspective. Once told, they shed light on current circumstances and events.”
“Curtis Mann: Precious Blood” and “Sean Wilkinson: Flora” are notably curated by Jeffrey Cortland Jones.
PUBLIC PROGRAMS
Opening night: Friday, Sept. 6
Members Preview with the Artists 5-6 p.m. Public Reception will take place from 6-8 p.m.
Artist Talk: Friday, Nov. 22
Curtis Mann and Sean Wilkinson will be in discussion with Carmen Winant at 6:30 p.m.
All programs take place at The Contemporary Dayton and are free and open to all.
HOW TO GO
What: “Curtis Mann: Precious Blood,” (Sept. 6-Dec. 21), “Sean Wilkinson: Flora” (Sept. 6-21) and “John Lauer: Demon Heads” (Oct. 26-Dec. 21).
Where: The Contemporary Dayton, 25 W. Fourth St., Dayton
Hours: Wednesday–Saturday 11 a.m.–6 p.m. Closed Sunday-Tuesday
More info: 937-224-3822 or codayton.org
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