MAEP Artist Talk: Jonathan Kaiser and Carolyn Swiszcz

Hear local Minnesotan artists Jonathan Kaiser and Carolyn Swiszcz discuss their current MAEP exhibitions.

Jonathan Kaiser’s “Inverse Echo” is an engaging sonic experience, a sculptural sound installation featuring a quartet of custom-made vinyl records on continuous repeat. Kaiser is interested in the tension between circular and linear conceptions of time, using looped records to explore the interconnection between past, present, and future. By varying the playback speed of the different records, he creates a perpetually shifting four-channel composition, evolving even as it repeats. The sculptural and spatial elements of the installation address related themes of symmetry and repetition.

Carolyn Swiszcz’s paintings and linoleum prints of unpopulated streets put a humorous and sometimes eerie complexion on dozens of familiar St. Paul landmarks. The three new short videos in “Inventory,” which include actors, puppets and diegetic voices, are rendered in her irresistible style. A church and grocery store are just a few of the stages in Super Bowl Sunday, Pizza, and Shrine, each of which are based on poignantly personal vignettes from her Massachusetts hometown. The gallery includes sculptures from the videos that are particularly strong narrative devices and have a presence Swiszcz describes as “quietly devout.” “Inventory” is the first installment of an ongoing project that will develop over the next few years.

Join us to learn more about their unique artistic practices and ask questions. Both exhibitions are on view through March 29, 2015.