Skip to content
Airhead - Patricia Belli, Laura Bernstein, Gabo Camnitzer, Anton van Dalen, Jef Geys, Elizabeth King, Alison Knowles, Montez Press Radio, Pepón Osorio, Adam Putnam, Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook, Shellyne Rodriguez, Douglas Ross, Paul Mpagi Sepuya, Timmy Simonds, and Franz Erhard Walther - Exhibitions - PPOW

P·P·O·W is pleased to present Airhead, a group show pulling together a distinct selection of artists who move between worlds of teaching and artmaking. While their practices as artists have influenced how they teach, their experiences teaching have also influenced their work. Some are “teachers,” defined by institutions, and some not. The works in the exhibition raise questions about our cultural understanding of the character of “the teacher,” our expectations of what it is they do, and our presumptions of what education should be. These works do not lecture. They do not solve problems, nor provide a path to answers. They do not dictate morals. They are not pedagogical in the sense of Froebel’s “gifts” or Montessori’s sensorial letter cards. These works are catalysts of possibility. Yet, they are also images of what happens to a thing when it creates possibilities for others. They speak unresolvedly about authority, martyrdom, visibility and invisibility, voice, influence, agency, role play, navigation, connecting worlds, and the human attempt to empathize.

Coinciding with the show will be a program of exercises, teach-ins, and performances called Faculty Meetings, part of an ongoing teacher-focused project organized by Timmy Simonds, called Miss Othmar School for Teachers. The program will unfold throughout the duration of the exhibition and will include both artists participating in the exhibition such as Alison Knowles, Shellyne Rodriguez, Franz Erhard Walther, and Douglas Ross as well as other artists and collaborative projects such as No School, Alejandro De La Guerra & EspIRA, Gaby Collins-Fernandez, Bethany Ides, Stephen Kwok, Holly Adams, Ethan Philbrick & Prem Krishnamurthy, and the Young Filmmaker’s Foundation & Jessica Gordon-Burroughs. The full program will be announced in the coming weeks. Miss Othmar School for Teachers is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature through Wave Farm’s Fiscal Sponsorship.

Exhibited Works

Exhibited Works Thumbnails
Jef Geys
Large Seedbag - Carnevale di Venezia, 2016
oil on canvas, bubble wrap, tape, marker
63 x 36 1/4 x 4 3/4 ins.
160.02 x 92.08 x 12.07 cm

Jef Geys
Large Seedbag - Carnevale di Venezia, 2016
oil on canvas, bubble wrap, tape, marker
63 x 36 1/4 x 4 3/4 ins.
160.02 x 92.08 x 12.07 cm

Anton van Dalen
166 Avenue A "PEACE" Hat; Avenue A Cut-Out Theatre Props (Hat and Shelf), 1995-2015
mixed media
21 x 11 1/4 x 10 ins.
53.34 x 28.58 x 25.4 cm

Anton van Dalen
166 Avenue A "PEACE" Hat; Avenue A Cut-Out Theatre Props (Hat and Shelf), 1995-2015
mixed media
21 x 11 1/4 x 10 ins.
53.34 x 28.58 x 25.4 cm

Elizabeth King
Theater, 1972-73
Wood, mixed media, sound, hidden electronics and motors.
66 x 49 x 20 ins. open.
167.6 x 124.5 x 50.8 cm

Elizabeth King
Theater, 1972-73
Wood, mixed media, sound, hidden electronics and motors.
66 x 49 x 20 ins. open.
167.6 x 124.5 x 50.8 cm

Paul Mpagi Sepuya
Screen (0X5A2655), 2020
Archival pigment print
61 x 41 x 2 ins.
155 x 104 x 5 cm

Paul Mpagi Sepuya
Screen (0X5A2655), 2020
Archival pigment print
61 x 41 x 2 ins.
155 x 104 x 5 cm

Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook
Two Planets, 2008
4-Channel Video,Stereo
720 x 576, 25fps, 48 kHz

Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook
Two Planets, 2008
4-Channel Video,Stereo
720 x 576, 25fps, 48 kHz

Adam Putnam
Untitled (cocoon), 1995
silver gelatin print
17 x 11 ins.
43.2 x 27.9 cm

Adam Putnam
Untitled (cocoon), 1995
silver gelatin print
17 x 11 ins.
43.2 x 27.9 cm

Jef Geys
Large Seedbag - Carnevale di Venezia, 2016
oil on canvas, bubble wrap, tape, marker
63 x 36 1/4 x 4 3/4 ins.
160.02 x 92.08 x 12.07 cm

Jef Geys
Large Seedbag - Carnevale di Venezia, 2016
oil on canvas, bubble wrap, tape, marker
63 x 36 1/4 x 4 3/4 ins.
160.02 x 92.08 x 12.07 cm

Anton van Dalen
166 Avenue A "PEACE" Hat; Avenue A Cut-Out Theatre Props (Hat and Shelf), 1995-2015
mixed media
21 x 11 1/4 x 10 ins.
53.34 x 28.58 x 25.4 cm

Anton van Dalen
166 Avenue A "PEACE" Hat; Avenue A Cut-Out Theatre Props (Hat and Shelf), 1995-2015
mixed media
21 x 11 1/4 x 10 ins.
53.34 x 28.58 x 25.4 cm

Elizabeth King
Theater, 1972-73
Wood, mixed media, sound, hidden electronics and motors.
66 x 49 x 20 ins. open.
167.6 x 124.5 x 50.8 cm

Elizabeth King
Theater, 1972-73
Wood, mixed media, sound, hidden electronics and motors.
66 x 49 x 20 ins. open.
167.6 x 124.5 x 50.8 cm

Paul Mpagi Sepuya
Screen (0X5A2655), 2020
Archival pigment print
61 x 41 x 2 ins.
155 x 104 x 5 cm

Paul Mpagi Sepuya
Screen (0X5A2655), 2020
Archival pigment print
61 x 41 x 2 ins.
155 x 104 x 5 cm

Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook
Two Planets, 2008
4-Channel Video,Stereo
720 x 576, 25fps, 48 kHz

Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook
Two Planets, 2008
4-Channel Video,Stereo
720 x 576, 25fps, 48 kHz

Adam Putnam
Untitled (cocoon), 1995
silver gelatin print
17 x 11 ins.
43.2 x 27.9 cm

Adam Putnam
Untitled (cocoon), 1995
silver gelatin print
17 x 11 ins.
43.2 x 27.9 cm

Installation Views

Installation Views Thumbnails
Airhead
Airhead
Airhead
Airhead
Airhead
Airhead
Airhead
Airhead
Airhead
Airhead
Airhead
Airhead
Airhead
Airhead
Airhead
Airhead
Airhead
Airhead
Airhead
Airhead
Airhead
Airhead
Airhead
Airhead
Airhead
Airhead
Airhead
Airhead