bau - beacon artist union
161 Main Street
Beacon, NY 12508
Sat/Sun 12-6pm & by appt.
In the fall of 2004, six artists at work in Beacon founded the art collective bau, opening a storefront gallery on Beacon’s Main Street in the center of the developing West End.
bau – beacon artist union, became an instant success. By utilizing the exhibition space and the backyard of the premises as a platform for experimental and conceptual projects bau immediately became an energizing inspiration for the group, as well as being highly acclaimed by the public and the press. Abby Luby’s review in PULSE magazine of the exhibition bau 9: blind offline defines bau’s artistic direction in one sentence:
“Artists Albert and Jacketti are members of the Beacon Artist Union, a group of artists that has continually produced conceptual “think” shows that are on the edge.”
Within a short period of time bau hosted many artists working in different media and disciplines. In spanning the presentation of the digital arts, art talks, documentary film and video screenings, performance and performing arts, to frequently held live music events during the past summer, bau became a vital kaleidoscope for Beacon’s creative life.
By the end of 2005 bau will now undergo personnel changes, making a “transition” from six founding members to eight.
Four of the original members, Kathy Feighery, Angelika Rinnhofer, Chris Albert and Peter Iannarelli will leave to pursue their individual careers, while Gary Jacketti and Harald Plochberger, the sustaining members, will remain with the newly expanded group. These artists are to be commended for providing the outstanding contribution of their works over the past year. It is only because of their founding vision and artistic impact that bau was established in such a short period of time.
bau 12: transition will highlight the works of the new members and place them within the context of the departing member’s work.
English-American artist and Cold Spring resident Tony Moore will present woodfired ceramic sculpture that references our current socio-political condition. A wall, a whip and shoe polish are the media for Beacon resident Gary O’Connor’s wall-drawing. Still-life collages and drawings by Beacon resident Vivian Altman will reveal her investigative process. Poughkeepsie resident Elizabeth Winchester, who came from San Francisco to work in the Hudson Valley, will contribute painting and monotype prints that utilize topographic maps. Carmel resident Christopher Staples will present large format figurative photo based images, while the Romanian born, German artist and Manhattan resident Egon Zippel will provide DVD video clips from his light installations and Polaroid drawings.
Sustaining bau project 2005/06 member and Beacon resident Gary Jacketti and Viennese artist, Ossining resident Harald Plochberger will respectively present a ceramic mosaic, rubber tire sculpture installation and conceptually based geometric painting and drawing.
bau 12: transition is curated by Gary Jacketti and Tony Moore.
bau project members 2006
Vivian Altman
Vivian Altman utilizes abstracted life forms in her delicately layered and textured two dimensional compositions. Her imagery, though seemingly familiar, seeks to create a mysterious reality.
Gary Jacketti 
Gary Jacketti’s work is executed in many genres and mediums. While a large proportion of his imagery is figurative, he also explores organic, geometric and abstract forms in sculpture, installation, painting, drawing and printmaking. In describing his methodology Jacketti reveals, “No pigeonhole exists in which to hide”.
www.beaconartistunion.comTony Moore 
Tony Moore’s recent woodfired ceramic sculptures reference socio-political events and the human condition, namely issues of Church and State and the war in Iraq. His archetypal imagery depicts archaic helmets, fortresses or memorial stones, often coupled with impressed hand or foot-prints, suggesting the universal presence of humanity. He is a painter and sculptor, whose works are represented in international museum collections,
including the Guggenheim Museum and Brooklyn Museum, USA.
Gary O’Connor 
Gary O’Connor says of his installations that any thoughts he might have about the works are provisional at best. Recently he prefers to work in a way that demystifies the notion of “talent”, drawing instead upon the more basic skills of preparation, steadiness and attention. He is interested in where his attention is placed, such as in the privilege of artistic production as opposed to the mundane activity of polishing boots. His practice is engaged with such fundamental questions as, “What is created when I am consciously engaged with my surroundings? What is the experience I have when no one activity, or its product, is more privileged over another?” O’Connor answers, “The first thing I notice is that I’m happy.”
Harald Plochberger 
Harald Plochberger is an interdisciplinary artist and painter, concerned with the exploration of the structure of mathematics and language that is visually articulated within a geometrically abstract vocabulary. Reality, as it is perceived in our daily routines, on TV and in the media, also provides an analytical context for his sociologically derived projects.
www.beaconartistunion.com
http://www.plochberger.net
Christopher Staples 
Christopher Staples blurs the line between photography and painting. In recent photographic works printed on canvas, titled “ShadowPlay, Faith”, the found, digitally un-manipulated and therefore uncontrived figurative imagery captures a moment in time. Similar to the artist’s other photographic works, the perception of the moment, implies meaning.
http://www.christopherstaples.com
Elizabeth Winchester
Elizabeth Winchester’s paintings portray a chronicle of geographic dissonance; a journey that has been without route or roadmap, without guide or glossary. The paintings include extensive use of maps, newspaper, collage or found objects resulting in a personal topography. There are occasional intimations of aerial landscapes when viewed from a distance, suggesting abstract, rhythmic movement. Upon closer viewing, layers unfold, revealing more disparate details of this idiosyncratic world. www.elizabethwinchester.org
Egon Zippel
Egon Zippel’s multi-media works, whether photographic, video, sculpture, painting or drawing, revolve around recycling; the recycling of communication: letters, words, symbols and signs that are deconstructed and often randomly reassembled in to new entities. At first look, perhaps these “entities” are incomprehensible, just as our daily lives often don’t make sense until we look again, perceiving meaning within a broader context. www.egonzippel.com
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