Giuliana Pinto

Weekend update: Metro Gallery, DJ John, Claire Huxtable

by Ed Schrader | May 12, 2008 at 1:35 pm

Charm City is a mystical dustbin, in a constant state of flux — you need only look as far as this past weekend to prove it.

“Playthings,” an exhibition curated by Stefani Levin (her first) opened last Thursday, at the Metro Gallery. Some of the folks involved in this show have shared bathrooms with me; thus I cannot speak of them. Most of the pieces in the show attempt to focus a lens on the perception of toys as a means by which to manipulate play time as a vehicle for cultural semiotics. Alex Worthington’s Artisan Shoppe, a miniaturized mock storefront aesthetically falling somewhere between Forever Twenty One and Baskin-Robbins, makes a rather un-cryptic nexus between the toxicity of literally consuming junk and buying it to achieve an ephemeral state of gratification (i.e. edible Chanel accessories).

Dammit, now I really want that boob job!

Ben Fino-Radin offers what seems to be a digital Mario Bros. hand flipping me the bird, perhaps opening up a visual dialog where 9-year-old anarchists find a vestige of empowerment in the courageous act of gorging themselves with hot pockets and finding warp zones. Am I getting warm?

Giuliana Pinto’s 7-foot-tall piece smartly blurs the line between a treehouse and creepy death trap. She offers us a nondecadent cork-board castle with dark window-like openings blowing cold air. It has an immediacy that sparks a recollection of the twisted luxurious dreamland where all of us messed-up kids dwelt at one time or another. Plaything will be on display until June 7 at the Metro Gallery, 1700 N. Charles St. It’s definitely worth a gander.

B. Baltimore Sun's Daily

My never ending battle with what was originally a project for my Art in Nature class. It rapidly progressed into a prolonged attempt to accomplish my original installation. The Unwalkable Path was to extend approximately 1200 feet from the North Eastern side of Lake Roland to the damn across the way.

WINTER: the dangerous consideration. place path on frozen lake top and await a warm day. [small bolder test proved this idea to be a life threatening one]

SPRING: travel around parameter of lake with materials.... [very large bushes detest]

SUMMER: a boat. Drove to Annapolis to rent a canoe. Cash in hand, boat at feet, the man at the counter asks "do you have your wetsuit?" I reply "Ha! no." Man "I'm sorry, I can't rent the boat to you if you don't have a wet suit." Me "......." It was 85 degrees out.

In the end, the path did not literally rest on the water of Lake Roland, however the outcome was potentially more enjoyable. I created framed pieces of glass designated for separate viewing stations around the lake with a landscape guide. When held up, one was able to see the path project across the lake.