June 1 – July 28
Opening Reception: June 1, 5-7 p.m. Artist Talk at 6 p.m.
The Internal Affairs of Mr. Invincible, created by artist Lou Ferreri, is a series of extravagant mixed-media drawings on the opinion pages of The New York Times. Like newspaper editorials, these renderings elaborate on ordinary and extraordinary phenomena, physical preoccupations, anxieties and observations regarding the details of everyday living.
“These drawings are both whimsical and ponderous,” said Watermark’s Executive Director Lori Forshee-Donnay. “They invite audiences to laugh, question and see current events through new, layered perspectives. We are excited to work with Ferreri to bring this show to Bemidji.”
Meet Ferreri during the opening reception on Friday, June 1, 5-7 p.m., with an Artist Talk at 6 p.m.
Lou Ferreri is a native of Brooklyn, New York, and a graduate of Bemidji State University and the MFA program at the University of Oregon. Ferreri is a McKnight Foundation Fellowship award winner and a two-time recipient of a Minnesota State Arts Board grant. He was an adjunct faculty member at Hamline University, Metro State University, and the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. He taught drawing, painting and ceramic sculpture at White Bear Lake High School for 15 years. Ferreri wrote and illustrated Ostrich Logic, published in 2003, and a memoir, So Long, Betty and Veronica, published in 2014. He and his wife live in St. Paul, Minnesota. He works full time writing, drawing and painting.
ASSOCIATED PROGRAMMING
Don’t miss the following events happening in conjunction with the exhibit.
Print Release
The release of prints from this series will be held Thursday, May 31, from 5:30 – 7 p.m., with a brief artist talk at 6. This event will showcase limited-edition, digital pigment prints and a companion book, all archival. Boxed sets of 25 prints, which include the book The Internal Affairs of Mr. Invincible, will be available for purchase. Individual prints will also be available, as well as the book with images of the 25 prints paired with essays by Ferreri.
The Minnesota Historical Society recently acquired a boxed set of prints for its permanent collection of fine art. The Library of Congress has added a box set of The Internal Affairs of Mr. Invincible to its Rare Book and Special Collections Division.
A Conversation with Artists
Area artists and friends are invited to join Ferreri in a discussion about creative motivations and methods on Thursday, June 21, from 6:30 – 8 p.m. at Watermark. Attendees will reflect on the following statement by French performer Maurice Chevalier:
“It all boils down to instinct, good or bad. Artistic creation must be spontaneous. It comes from the heart; it has to pass through the brain; and still one needs the guts, and good old, indispensable technique, to bring it to the light of day. That, at least, is how I see the process, not that I have ever been able to pin it down very exactly in my own case. You hear a voice inside. You obey it, and produce whatever it told you to produce; and then you wait and see. And oh! The trouble you’re in for.”