ARTIST BIOGRAPHIES

Denver Westword Article

Doublespace Co-Owners Steven Meyers and Keenan Mehrens Photo: Matt Pevear @matthewpevear

What (or who) is your creative muse? Denver is a creative hub and is constantly growing and filling with great artists, designers, enthusiasts and casual viewers curious to discover something new.

Blot Opening Photo: Angela Craven

Which three people, dead or alive, would you like to invite to your next party and why?

Andy Warhol: Yeah, we know it’s cliché but we don’t care! Warhol knew how to throw a party and is a revolutionary figure who would surely entertain.

Prince: A party needs music, and our party needs Prince.

Salvador Dalí: A good party is full of interesting characters. This should be fun.

What’s the best thing about the local creative community in your field — and the worst? The great part about Denver is that it’s always changing. There is a constant influx of new artists and viewers. Unfortunately, during this period of rapid growth, Denver struggles to maintain an identity and is losing grasp of its original creative community of artists and artist-run spaces. There is hope that Denver can reach an artistic equilibrium that allows for new ideas but holds on to its roots.

How about globally? The global creative community is full of exciting and compelling artist-run galleries and studios. That said, many other communities are experiencing change similar to our community’s. In the midst of a global pandemic, growing income disparity and increased cost of living, it is more important than ever to reassess the standard gallery model. Art should cater not only to the viewer and collector, but equally to the artist and community. Collectives like Eastside Projects in the U.K. inspire us to explore exhibitions in a different way.

Biophilia Photo: Matt Pevear @matthewpevear

What’s your dream project? During our first run of exhibits, we only began to scratch the surface of small-space collaboration. With increased exposure, a consistent space and a larger pool of artists, the curated pairs could lead to some amazing collaborative exhibitions. We would love to take this project on the road and bring the exhibits to unique locations throughout the country. We will be able to best expand our audience through both travel and a well-documented digital collection.

Denver (or Colorado), love it or leave it? What keeps you here — or makes you want to leave? Denver is a great place to be, heck Colorado is beautiful, filled with unique flair and eDenver is a great city to live in, which is both a benefit and part of its problem. Once upon a time, Denver had a thriving DIY art scene, but rapid growth and development have pushed those artists and their spaces aside. Ultimately, for this aspect of Denver’s art scene to survive, downsizing and alternative spaces are key. This
philosophy is at the core of Doublespace’s vision and is something that can be at home here in Denver and on the road.

The Stoop Photo: Steven Meyers @smj2art

What’s on your agenda in the coming year? Although the times and coming year are uncertain, Doublespace would like to invite you to our 2020 Pop-Up Series! Our goal for this exciting exhibition series is to take to the road less traveled, that of mobility. Interested in exhibiting or attending? Be sure to follow us on Instagram for pop-up events, locations and featured artists!

Open Call 2020 Photo: Keenan Mehrens @quemehrensart

Who do you think will (or should) get noticed in the local arts community in the coming year? We would like to see exciting new works this year from Andrea Dolter, Angela Craven, We would like to see exciting new works this year from Andrea Dolter, Angela Craven, Chelsea Gilmore, Drew Austin, Duncan Parks, Dylan Griffith, Emma Benschop, George Perez, Mae Phillips, Matt Kuck, Keenan Mehrens and Vera Benschop. Check out their exhibits from last year at dblspc.com.

Doublespace is back at it again, bringing unique programming to creatives across the Rockies. Last year, we established our flagship gallery located in Denver Colorado. The one hundred square foot project space was an open platform for single week pop-up exhibitions showcasing curated collaborations. They duos were encouraged to exercise their conceptual works and talents for a creative minded audience. From paintings to installations to sculptural experimentation, we quickly became a space for creatives, by creatives. Together we established a different style of exhibition that is engaging and ultimately challenging, expanding our perceptions while exploring visual artistry. In 2020, Doublespace has closed their Golden Triangle Gallery in order to be a bit more free-formed. With the same emphasis on collaboration, discussion and exploration, we work to provide creatives with unique opportunities that both grow their practice as well as their creative base within the progressive world of contemporary art while providing viewers with a new experience.

This year, we would like to announce, the Doublespace 2020 Summer Roadside Destination Pop-Up Series. Composed of (3) single day exhibitions, these destination Pop-Ups will be nestled amongst beautiful scenery and epic Landscapes. Selected creatives will produce a variety of site specific works that offers a unique alternative to incorporating art into our daily lives. We would love for you to join us on this artistic pilgramicdge and encourage you to pack you bags, you vehicles and come camp alongside Doublespace as we begin this new venture of Exhibitions.

Be sure to follow our instagram page @DBLSPC for more info

We would like to Thank Deanne Gertner, Angela Craven, Drew Austin, Emma Benschop, Mae Phillips, George Perez, Duncan Parks, Dylan Griffith, Vera Benschop, Andrea Dolter, Chelsea Gilmore, Keenan Mehrens, Matt Kuck and Steven Meyers for their efforts and commitment to embracing our collaborative program.

for additional information please contact info@dblspc.com

ARTIST BIOGRAPHIES

ANDREA DOLTER AND CHELSEA GILMORE ENGAGE THE TANGIBLE REALITY OF TIME AS IT INTERSECTS WITH THE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE. DOUBLESPACE PRESENTS THE FITH EXHIBITION DÉJÀ VU” ON OCTOBER 25, 2019.

TRADITION MEETS INVENTION AS TIME IS WOVEN TO CREATE A TANGIBLE COLLECTION OF SCRAP AND THREAD. THROUGH THE COMBINATION OF TEXTILE ARTIST DOLTER AND INSTALLATION ARTIST GILMORE, THIS SERIES OF WORK REALLY EXPLORES A JOINT APPROACH TO CREATION THROUGH THE USE OF BITS AND PIECES. ONE GRABS THE LEFTOVER REMAINS OF JUNKYARD FABRIC TO CREATE SPECIAL OBJECTS WHILE THE OTHER COMBINES BITS OF PRINTS AND DRAWINGS TO CREATE TACTILE QUILTED WALL HANGINGS.

Be sure to check out the artists instagrams @andreadolter and @chelseagilmoreart and check out what they are up to. For more information, stay tuned for September’s pop up exhibition preview and be sure to check out one of our opening receptions on the Final Friday of each month through November. Click Here to see exhibition photos.

for additional information contact info@dblspc.com

ARTIST BIOGRAPHIES

Dylan Griffith and Vera Benschop explore the coexistence of landscape and the adventure within. Doublespace presents the fourth exhibition “A Rock is a Mountain and We are a River Passing Through” on September 27, 2019.

Tucked away in a gallery known as Black Crow, a shoebox room containing exciting things opens  their doors for visitors alike to join in on the fun and adventure in the West. From high deserts to mountainous peaks and valleys, Dylan Griffith creates a series of almost psychedelic paintings capturing the magic attributes that many find only in the west. These almost dream like paintings find their place outdoors, in nature. From the Arizona Desert to the Grand Tetons there is always something magical happening out there. But where do they go?

Along comes a photographer by the name of Vera who might just have what it takes to answer that question. On a constant search for place and endless nag towards exploration, she retreats to nature for inspiration. What better way than to head north for a good ol’ camping trip! Now, Vera has respect for wildlife and is a firm believer in leaving no trace, no trace of her, or them. With nowhere to go an no map for guidance, she uses her camera to remind her of her journey. It was here where she began to see the magic.

The magic was in the sky and from the earth. It was also at night! What a great time for marshmallows and campfire stories. It began with a man in red. The man in red was not the devil but a spirit of the fire. He led a life of mystery and magic but not like a wizard. The man in red saw things, visuals, perhaps a mirage. He saw Towers and Rainbows and cowboys and pigs and birds and funny shapes in the sky. A wild dude from what I recall. He shared stories of his travels and the encounters he crossed paths with. The story that stuck with me the most was the pilgrimage to rainbow mountain.

If you like the works from this exhibition be sure to check out the artists instagrams @verabenschop and @dylansgriffith and check out what they are up to. For more information, stay tuned for September’s pop up exhibition preview and be sure to check out one of our opening receptions on the Final Friday of each month through November. Click Here to see exhibition photos.

for additional information contact info@dblspc.com

ARTIST BIOGRAPHIES

Duncan Parks and George P. Perez invites an alluring enigma to the 12th and Bannock Bldg. in Denver’s Golden Triangle Creative District. Located within and existing gallery “Black Crow Gallery,” Doublespace releases “Biophilia,” a collaborative exhibition between a photographer and an industrial designer. Opening August 30th, 2019 this is the gallery’s third exhibition. This time, to completely transform the space. A “must see” exhibition!

“The pairing process  is an exciting yet challenging approach to exhibiting artists,” says Doublspace co-founder Keenan Mehrens. “By taking attention away from a traditional gallery exhibit, the walls become merely a white surface.” Parks and Perez opt to draw the viewers focus to the ground. Yet somehow, the space seems familiar, as though you were exploring a new trailhead or just walking alongside a mountain stream. Perhaps to contemplate the likelihood of another world, something existential. The space invites you to engage with the space. There are rocks and rock and then, even more rocks. Eventually the strange reveal of markings as you begin to examine these objects.

You begin to wonder… are they fossils or fissures? Are they natural or manmade? Better yet, are they engravings from an historic past or interpretations of a distant future? Using vectors to create line drawings, Parks takes contour outlines from a image supplied by artist and photographer George Perez. With the help of technology, the vector communicates with CNC equpiptment to transfer the date onto these carefully selected objects. It is in these engravings where something inside you becomes alive. The exaggerated depth adds an an element of curiosity and mystery, sometimes even fear to the work.

Meanwhile, Perez brings a different skillset to this collaboration. Through the use of found objects and techniques of previous works in photography, this series of work speaks to a larger conversation. In this case a found image of Yellowstone National Park takes root in Denver, Colorado. Preserved within a historic object of nature, the fossilized context of this image can appear to be lost; missing. Especially when these works are examined and ultimately experienced independently.

Through the transformation of this existing interior environment, an opportunity almost seemed to present, or evoke, an exterior landscape. The element of location, of place, is never lost. Filled by domestic representations and qualities, the room consist of not only fixtures and hardware but an air purifier assisting with the understanding to retain natural environments, an ode to preservation and sustainability. It seems as though the whole is always greater than the sum of its parts. These two exciting creatives took a change and willingly took a gamble and seized a wonderful opportunity to create a collaborative body of work that might not have otherwise been a consideration or possibility. Doublespace invites you to experience this one for yourselves.

If you like the works from this exhibition be sure to check out the artists instagram accounts @duncan.parks and @georgepperez and check out what they are up to. For more information,Stay tuned for September’s pop up exhibition preview and be sure to check out one of our opening receptions on the Final Friday of each month through November. Click Here to see exhibition photos.

for additional information please contact info@dblspc.com