Installation/performance evidence by Nabeela Vega

I stopped by the Howard Art Project in Dorchester on Friday to check out the opening of Perma-F(r)ail. Curated by Timothy Amundson and Jessica Borusky, the show features the work of about two dozen creators, all interrogating the concept of persona within art making practice.

The opening event included performances by Nabeela Vega (above), Maggie Cavallo, and Dell M. Hamilton (below).

Performance by Dell M. Hamilton

In the video, “Office Skulls” artist Bradley Tsalyuk puts on a mask, while in “Tip Study” artist Rob Chamberlin strips down and breaks his appearance up into a set of data.

LEFT: “Office Skulls”, video by Bradley Tsalyuk; RIGHT: “Tip Study” by Rob Chamberlin

Hisaya Ishii exhibits a set of wonderfully dry pamphlets examining mental health. With titles like “Are You Sad? : Or Are You Just Happy?” and “Anxiety: What’s Normal, What’s Not Abnormal,” Ishii passes out advice that is tongue-in-cheek in its delivery, but hard-hitting in its message.

“Pamphlets” by Hisaya Ishii

I enjoyed David Wayne Reed’s piece, “I AM,” made up of a full length mirror and an audio recording that plays a string of self-empowering statements.

LEFT: visible are “Missing,” film stills by Bug Davidson, “Evidence of Performance” (disco ball) by Local Honey, and “I AM” by David Wayne Reed; RIGHT: “I AM” by David Wayne Reed

Performance artists, Robert Chamberlin, Joanna Tam, and Nabeela Vega also took the show on the road on Monday when they performed at the Panoply Performance Laboratory in NYC.

The show is on view until August 15th.

Howard Art Project
1486 Dorchester Ave, Boston, MA
Hours: August 2nd & 3rd 12 – 5pm & by appointment.