www.abatongarage.com
Beyond BurmA
Works on paper by
Roger
Miller
11/20 - 12/23,
2005
Opening Reception 11/20, 2-6
PM
I am a collector, an organizer, and a densifier of
surfaces. I began this work in May 2001, though the seeds of discontent had been
placed inside me years before. Desiring to lose some of my ego, I implemented
the automatic technique of frottage (French for rubbing), an invention of Max
Ernst's during the heyday of Surrealism. I sat in my semi-secluded backyard and
rubbed my first frottages with a graphite stick. The bricks, the tree bark, the
picnic table, the metal chair I was sitting on, the street lamp I'd picked up
off the ground years before all yielded images through a textural sense that was
barely visible to the eye. Touching became a new form of seeing.
Frottage is about the
organization of chance elements. Whatever is in the environment is the goddamn
goods: what else is there? Frottage makes the world easier to project meaning on
to. There are some similarities to music in this work for me: the searching
aspect of improvisation and the discovery involved. The way that one must
somehow conclude, causing the materials to interact in a cohesive fashion, what
one has started. To this end, I always add some intentional hand-drawing to
bring out the underlying meaning of the piece. Conscious control is minimal, but
previously veiled ideas and psychic elements are uncovered. This has more than a
slight connection to dreams (I have composed a number of musical "Dream
Interpretations" over the years). And I leave these elements in a highly
ambiguous state intentionally. Rather than fixing an image to a known emotive
charge, I prefer to leave the eye-pools open to interpretation. Vertigo.
It amuses me on a daily
basis.
Roger C.
Miller
Please join us at Abaton
Garage for a look at and a listen to Roger Miller's latest compositions. The
opening reception for Beyond Burma will take place November 20th from
2-6PM. Roger, best known for his work in the proto-indie rock band Mission of
Burma, will perform at 5:00 with his brother Ben, a former Destroy All Monsters
cohort, and their pal Mark Dagley, founder of punk bands the Girls and Hi
Sheriffs of Blue. Scott Freyer, psychedelic percussionist for Tower Recordings
and Pothole Skinny, will precede them at 4:30, accompanied by the enchanting
vocalist Megan. Refreshments will be served throughout the afternoon.
Directions: From NYC take the Newark-bound PATH train to Journal Square. Taxis are available on Kennedy Boulevard, directly in front of the station. The ride to Abaton Garage takes less than five minutes and costs approximately $5. If you prefer to walk, simply stroll down Kennedy Boulevard about 3/4 of a mile, until you reach Gifford Avenue. Then turn right; 100 is in the middle of the block.
Previous exhibitions 2004:
Mark Dagley, June ~ July 2004
Tom Warren, August ~ September 2004
Alix Lambert, September ~ October 2004
Bill Schwarz, October ~ December 2004
Previous exhibitions 2005:
Steven Parrino, April 2005
Cora Cohen, May 2005
Paula Gillen, June ~ July 2005
Micheal Gentile, July ~ August 2005
Christine Krol & P. G. Six, August ~ September 2005
Amy Wilson, October 2005
James Biederman, October ~ November 2005
Exhibiting:
Our 2005 catalog is available here.
Catalog
