Curator, Brigitte Mulholland, and Artist, Craig Drennen, sit down to discuss the scope, consideration, and influences of Old Athenian & at the beginning of the closing reception for the exhibition. The work in the exhibition span the last 14 years of Craig Drennen’s career.

EXHIBITION BRIEF:

Old Athenian & is the largest and most expansive solo exhibition of Craig Drennen’s work to date. Since 2008, Drennen has organized his studio practice in response to Shakespeare’s arguably worst play, Timon of Athens. This long-form project includes painting, sculpture, drawing, installation, performance, and video prompted by the list of characters from the play. Each character is constructed from contemporary references and a distinct method of execution that allows Drennen to continuously expand his exploration of contemporary art. Curated by Brigitte Mulholland, the exhibition includes multiple characters’ works, exhibited together for the first time. In another first, each piece in the exhibition will be presented in the Stove Works space framed by a minor character named Old Athenian. A catalog publication has been produced in conjunction with this exhibition.

ARTIST BIO:

Craig Drennen is a painter and a 2018 Guggenheim Fellow. His recent solo exhibitions include Merchants, Bandits, and Certain Senators at Laney Contemporary in Savannah, GA and Mit Zuckerstange at Flyweight Projects in Brooklyn, NY. He has exhibited in Nashville, Birmingham, and Atlanta, as well as in New York City, Boston, and Los Angeles. He has been an artist in residence at Yaddo, MacDowell, the Triangle Arts Foundation, and Skowhegan. His work has been reviewed in Art in America, Artforum, the New York Times, and the Boston Globe. Drennen served as dean at Skowhegan, teaches at Georgia State University, and manages THE END Project Space. Since 2008 he has organized his studio practice around Shakespeare’s Timon of Athens.

https://craigdrennen.com/home.html

CURATOR BIO:

Brigitte Mulholland is a director at Anton Kern Gallery, as well as an independent curator with projects staged at Spring/Break, Cuchifritos Gallery, and the W Hotel Downtown, among others. Her shows have received reviews from Artsy, Artnet, Artforum, Hyperallergic, and Artcritical. Mulholland has been working in New York in the art world since 2006, and holds a Master’s degree in Art History from Hunter College.

https://www.brigittemulholland.com/