The Loneliness of the Middle-Distance Runner

October 5 – 12, 2012
Opening Reception: October 5th, 6 – 9 pm
Exhibition dates: October 6th, 10th, 11th, 12th
Hours: 11 am – 5 pm

Flux Factory is pleased to present The Loneliness of the Middle-Distance Runner, organized by Flux Curator-in-Residence, Sam Perry. This group exhibition brings together film, photography, and performance works from Wales and New York City. The works in the show sequentially allude to a string of tendencies taken from a found photograph and the stories behind it.

In 1908, London hosted its first Olympic Games, noted for a string of international tensions, most evidently between Great Britain and the United Sates. A poster-boy for the diplomatic comedy of errors that occurred throughout the games was the gold medal-winning British athlete Wyndham Halswelle. Wyndham qualified for the final of the 400 meter dash, where he faced solely American competitors. During an agitated race, Wyndham was seen by an official to have been repeatedly obstructed by an American counterpart. This was not allowed under the British Olympic ruling system and a re-run was ordered. In an act of unity and defiance all U.S. athletes pulled out of the rescheduled race, leaving only Wyndham to reluctantly race himself, a gold medal-winning “walk-over” witnessed by approximately 90,000 fans.

The works in the show tangentially speak about solitude and surveillance, a reflection upon success and, more vocally, failure. The ambiguity of these terms is further explored through the found photographic image and the misrepresentations they often project. Expect durational, vocal and homily-based performances throughout the opening reception.

Participating artists: Adrian Owen, Alex Wolkowicz, Angela Jimenez, Blue MacAskill, Chris Domenick, Jonathan Thomas, Kathryn Ashill, Kerry Downey, Louise Barry, and Tom Pope.

Sam Perry’s residency is supported by Wales Arts International.

Photo courtesy Angela Jimenez.