01.26.23 - 04.30.23

When I Am Empty Please Dispose of Me Properly

Exhibition Info

When I Am Empty features the work of seven artists that explore the myths of the American dream that govern and shape our personal narratives. The title of the exhibition comes from a prompt from the manufacturer on a Whatacup beverage container. Enlarged to bodily proportions by the late photographer Chuck Ramirez, the empty cup and phrase take on a new meaning, drawing attention to the spent, drained, state of Americans, physically and mentally. The message also communicates the inherent disposability of cheap, mass-produced goods and the larger structures and systems that belie economic mobility and how people are valued in our society.

The question of proper disposal elicited by the fast food cup hints at a larger overarching impulse for these artists with their work: what remains of pleasure and desire when something is emptied out? Can we see this moment of emptiness as also a site or place of potential? Drawing on Pop art and advertising aesthetics, the exhibition examines consumption through both its allure and contradiction, playing with ideas of mimicry, duplication, and violence. As Vince Aletti notes with Pacifico Silano’s photography, it is “intensely pleasurable, yet haunted by pleasure’s limits.”

When I Am Empty Please Dispose of Me Properly is curated by BRIC Curator Jenny Gerow with support from Artist Tahir Carl Karmali and Curatorial Intern Augusta Weiss.

 

STROBE WARNING: Video in back left corner of the Gallery

Featured artists:
Ayanna Dozier
Ilana Harris-Babou
Meena Hasan
Lucia Hierro
Catherine Opie
Chuck Ramirez
Pacifico Silano

 

List of Works in Exhibition

Bios

Ayanna Dozier

(she/her)
Born in Riverside, CA; based in Brooklyn, NY

Ilana Harris-Babou

(she/her)
Born and based in Brooklyn, NY

Meena Hasan

(she/her)
Born in New York, NY; based in Brooklyn, NY

Lucia Hierro

(she/her)
Born in New York, NY; based in the Bronx, NY

Catherine Opie

(she/her)
Born in Sandusky, OH; based in Los Angeles, CA

Chuck Ramirez

(He/Him)
Born San Antonio, TX, d. 2010

Pacifico Silano

(He/Him)
Born in Brooklyn, NY; based in New York, NY

Exhibition Events

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647 Fulton St, Brooklyn, NY 11217

Venue Info

BRIC House is Brooklyn’s cultural living room: a 40,000 square foot multi-disciplinary arts and media complex where emerging and established artists can create work that deepens their practice and engages the diverse communities of the borough.

COVID-19 policy: Attendees of any BRIC House programming do not have to show proof of vaccination or a negative test to enter the building. Masks are encouraged but not required in all BRIC operated spaces. To learn more, visit:

BRIC IS COMMITTED TO WELCOMING PEOPLE OF ALL ABILITIES

The main floor of BRIC House has an accessible entrance on Rockwell Place, in addition to an accessible, all-gender bathroom. The BRIC Media Center, located on the 2nd floor, is accessible via elevator. The Gallery level is accessible via a wheelchair lift. Portable FM assistive listening devices are available for programs on the Stoop and in the Ballroom upon request. To make a specific access request, or to let us know other ways we can provide you with a welcoming experience, please contact Benno Orlinsky at [email protected] or (718) 683-5637.