May First Friday (bring your umbrella)

Here’s what’s new on Thayer Street for the shows opening Friday, May 1st.

I’m a big fan of the pieces at Walker Contemporary- they’re almost optical illusions and it took me a minute to figure out exactly what I was looking at. The show at the Boston Sculptors Gallery is great! I love Beth Galston’s jellyfish-like installation and Lorey Bonante’s bow-tie sculptures, which look more like pterodactyls than clothing. Very anthropomorphic!

More on Megachurches…

Joe Johnson’s show, Mega Churches, (over at Gallery Kayafas on Thayer Street) is getting some attention. Here’s The stark beauty of empty megachurches; an article by Michael Paulson who writes Articles of Faith over at boston.com. And here’s the e-version of the print article from the Boston Globe; A Vegas-style staging of the scripture by Cate McQuaid to which Michael Paulson was responding. An edit at the bottom of Paulson’s article includes a response from Arlette Kayafas and an excerpt from Joe Johnson’s artist statement.

Here’s one of my favorite Joe Johnson- Mega Churches pieces:

Unfortunately, the above image doesn’t even begin to do this photograph justice.

Arlette Kayafas of Gallery Kayafas explains that this is a shot of the carpeting in a megachurch which was converted from a hotel. Which brings me to the real issue here: Why do hotels always pick out the most hideous carpeting and wallpaper?

If you’re in Boston, get over to Gallery Kayafas to check out the show (these are really large photos- better in person), otherwise check out the Gallery Kayafas website to see more of Joe Johnson’s work. I encourage you all to contribute your thoughts to the comments section after Michael Paulson article- that’s what the internet is for!

How to spend your Friday:

Tomorrow is Friday, April 3rd, a.k.a. the first Friday of the month, a.k.a. First Fridays on Thayer Street in SoWa.

Here’s a sampling of the shows that will be opening in the Thayer Street galleries:

Hi Linda!