Curatorial Work with AUTOMAT Collective
Gladney Hall has been an integral board, curatorial, and gallery staff member of AUTOMAT Collective LLC since Spring 2022. All questions about AUTOMAT Collective or Gladney’s curatorial work through AUTOMAT should be directed to automatcollective@gmail.com.
Based in Philadelphia and founded in 2015, AUTOMAT Collective is an artist-run curatorial collective that champions emerging artists through exhibitions, programming, and publications. We follow a co-operative model that supports the diverse backgrounds and unique interests of each curatorial member, with new exhibitions taking place in our gallery each month. Along with our regular programming, we are thrilled to partner with local collectives and community organizations to provide space for collaborative engagement. AUTOMAT is located in the Crane Arts Building, home to many art galleries and artist studios — and we hope you’ll come say hi.
AUTOMAT Collective
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Embodied Enchantment
The human form transcends its physicality, becoming a vessel for magic and life, a repository of narratives both ancient and contemporary. Like snapshots of moments captured on timeless amphorae, this exhibition interlaces the mythological with the mundane, delving into the very essence of humanity and its intricate relationship with nature, our world, and ourselves. Just as ancient amphorae bore witness to the tales of their time, our contemporary vessels carry narratives that intertwine the mythological, the mundane, and the natural world.
At the heart of this exploration lies the concept of the human body as a vessel not merely for blood and bones, but for the intangible forces that shape our existence. Just as an ancient amphora held precious oils or wines, the human form cradles within itself the essence of life, embodying the enigmatic dance between mortality and transcendence. In their interlacing, we find a reflection of our own complex relationship with the world around us—both enchanting and mundane, divine and earthly.
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Present Tension
By allowing ourselves to explore the delicate interplay between presence and precarity, we can attune to the cycles of nature and feel the texture of the ghostly fabric that sways between realms. Presence challenges us to confront that from which we would rather turn away and reevaluate the connections that define us.
Present Tension brings together the work of Amira Pualwan, Emily Stroud, Isa Dray, Kayla Cantu, Morgan Thomas Shankweiler, Olivia Fredricks, Paige Morris, and Rebecca Ledbetter, curated through AUTOMAT Collective’s Annual Open Call. Their work reflects on the fragility and complexity of our times, and the quest for presence in the face of discomfort.
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AUTOMAT Open Call
AUTOMAT announces a call for artworks for their 2024 Open Call exhibition, open to emerging and mid-career artists working in any medium in the Philadelphia region and beyond. This group exhibition will be curated by our members, and will run from December 7th 2024 - January 18th 2025. Accepted works must be available for the duration of the show. Please see submission requirements on AUTOMAT website to apply.
Open calls introduce your work to our curators and present possibilities for future exhibitions even if you are not included in this group show. Our members often review our open call records when preparing for new projects.