Johannes DeYoung & Natalie Westbrook

Diamond Head

March 22 - April 28, 2013

Opening Reception March 22, 6-9pm

Interstate Projects is pleased to present Diamond Head, the first collaborative work by Natalie Westbrook and Johannes DeYoung.

Diamond Head presents a collection of animated video and printed collage, thematically rooted in a tradition of literary South Seas travelogue. Akin to the narrative yarns of Herman Melville and Mark Twain, Diamond Head weaves a thread between geographical exploration and psychic journey.

The works and exhibition title take inspiration from a volcanic cone of the same name on Oahu, Hawaii. The area is currently a US national park, historically a beacon of anthropomorphism and mirage. Early inhabitants of Oahu called the volcanic mound Le'ahi, meaning tuna, describing the shape of the ridge line that resembles the fish's fin. British sailors later gave the cone it's English name after mistaking calcite crystals in its sheer cliffs for diamonds, while approaching the island from sea. Diamond Head has been referenced widely in pop culture as the name for the 1963 film starring Charlton Heston and Yvette Mimieux, for songs by The Beach Boys and The Ventures, for the 1975 American game show hosted by Bob Eubank and taped on location in Hawaii, for the influential English heavy metal band formed in 1976, and for the Japanese pop rock band that formed in 2000.

In their own Diamond Head, DeYoung and Westbrook mix themes of spiritual quest and tourism, weaving together travel video, photography, and painting, as well as stop-motion and digital animation. The voyager and vacationist cohabit a body that finds itself both strange and familiar in a new land.

Johannes DeYoung received his BFA from the University of Louisville, and his MFA from the Cranbrook Academy of Art. His work has been shown at The Parlor, Brooklyn, NY; Pallas Projects, Dublin, Ireland; Grizzly Grizzly, Philadelphia, PA; Real Art Ways, Hartford, CT; Vaudeville Park, New York, NY; NurtureArt, New York, NY; Interstate Projects, New York, NY; and Hell Gallery, Melbourne, VIC Australia. He will have work on view in the project space at Jeff Bailey Gallery in New York, NY opening March 29, 2013.

Natalie Westbrook graduated from the The Cooper Union School of Art, received her MA in Critical and Curatorial Studies from the University of Louisville, and her MFA from Yale University. Her work has been shown at Bushwick Basel 2012, Co/Lab at Art Platform Los Angeles, Interstate Projects and Vaudeville Park in New York, and Reynolds Gallery in Richmond, VA. This year, she was selected as the recipient of the Haleakala Artist Residency in Maui, where she will reside this summer to make work on site and lecture.

www.title-magazine.com/2012/05/sandwich-isle-romantics-deeper-deeper-diamond-head/
www.johannesdeyoung.com
www.nataliewestbrook.com

Interstate Projects focuses on young, emerging artists, works to connect artists and ideas from across the country. The gallery is located in Bushwick at 66 Knickerbocker Ave, Brooklyn NY 11237. Our hours are Friday – Sunday 12 – 6 and by appointment. For further information or images contact Tom Weinrich, tom@interstateprojects.com.

Directions: L train to Morgan Ave. The gallery is located on the first floor of 66 Knickerbocker Ave, with the entrance to the gallery located inside a gated outdoor courtyard. Signs are located on the exterior of the building.