VISUAL ARTS & ARCHITECTURE:

Swan show of sparkles also shines

By Debra Wolf

For the Journal-Constitution

Published on: 04/06/2008

REVIEW

Through April 26. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays. Prices: $150-$8,500.

Swan Coach House Gallery, 3130 Slaton Drive, Atlanta. 404-266-2636

www.swancoachhouse.com.

Bottom line: Glitter is the unifying theme as nine local artists offer playful, pleasurable and political sparkle in an enjoyable and clever group show.

It's guiltless glitz at the Swan Coach House Gallery's latest exhibition, as nine local talents add a touch of glam —- and more —- to their canvases, photographs and objets d'art.

> Cecilia Kane's mixed-media charmers are cleverly conceived, meticulously fabricated, and posit hard truths in a soft medium. "The Spinmeister" is a small fabric effigy with a star-studded cape, a Klansman's hood and a 1,000-watt smile on its amiable face. The figure is embroidered, embellished and posed on a rusting structure with wheels that (amusingly) won't spin.

> Tucked in the gallery office is Judy Parady's pair of paintings inspired by particle physics. Elegant abstractions, one painting's circular element offers the perfect counterbalance to the other's strident vertical stroke. The former suggests air, water and planets; the latter resembles a bolt striking the Earth, then splintering off into delicate lines.

> Jim Waters' sculptural paintings are subtle, stately and "mod." His crosses shimmer with an ornamental edge and clean, visual heft.

> Joni Mabe contrasts the exuberance of vibrant color and glitter with the somber realism of black and white photography. Her P.T. Barnum is an ideal (and ironic) archetype, as she illustrates the all-American affinity for transforming already famous personalities into spectacle.

In an exhibition with more nuance and range than first evident, you'll find a thoughtful, witty and provocative look at what catches the contemporary eye. The show itself is our lesson —- explore beyond the sparkling surface.