Jesse Adcock
Contributing Writer
“FOOLS,” a pop-up show in a Broad Street apartment in Richmond’s Arts District, allowed audiences and artists to connect on April’s First Friday – which fell on April Fools’ Day.
These shows, which take place in DIY spaces around the city to avoid the challenges of getting work into a gallery, are often organized by visual artists in the same way house shows are by bands.
“It’s like a breath of fresh air,” said David Withers, an VCUarts student with his work on display at the show.
Pop-up shows have different feeling than galleries, Withers said. It’s more like a community and people are more comfortable attending and being receptive. At a gallery, artists may not even be present with their work, or the show could be so formal that engaging the artists directly is uncomfortable.
“It’s good to have our work seen outside of critique, outside of institution,” Withers said.
As students in VCUarts, not many people outside the program get to see student’s work. Withers said it is a valuable experience to engage and discuss his work in a casual setting with an audience.
“I dig it,” said VCU student Katherine Hullinger. She said that because their art is showcased in an apartment, she’s relaxed and able to engage the artists and better appreciate the pieces displayed.
Leslie Pyo, a VCUarts student with her work on display, said the set-up was all very natural, the artists experiment with the placement of their work and communicate with each other to make the strongest impression.
Kass Patselas, a VCUarts student who organized the show along with Withers, said they chose the title “FOOLS” because, at some level, they are all semi-abstract artists who include multilayered jokes within their art.
“The artists are really cool people,” said VCU student Ron Abangan. “It’s easy to talk about their work and how that reflects their experiences in life.”
“FOOLS” featured work by VCUarts students including: Skyler Thompson, Nick Lotuaco, Kass Patselas, Leslie Pyo, Troy Scully, David Withers and Brandon Hendrick.