Profile: Geoffrey Young and his Gallery
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He is also an art critic, a curator of exhibitions and an instructor of art criticism at State University of New York at Albany, all the while keeping a gallery afloat in Berkshire County for the past 17 years. When the gallery first opened it was active during the summer months only. Now it is open for six months out of the year, from late May/early June through late November/early December.
Young is from the West Coast and, during studies at the University of California at Santa Barbara, went to Paris on a Fulbright Scholarship. While there, he got a head start in the gallery world by working for the Sonnabend Gallery. Upon his return, he did a stint in Berkeley where he created The Figures Press, which between 1975 and 2005 published more than 125 books. By 1982, he was in the Berkshires where he has since remained.
Now ensconced in his modest space on the second floor of 40 Railroad St., this man of many talents has become Berkshire County's crucial and vital link to the New York art scene. Young regularly travels to and from the city, checking out exhibitions and visiting artists' studios while looking for artwork for his gallery. In his exhibitions, he often mixes area artists with these more distant urbanites. Over the years, he has discovered an abundance of talent and helped many an artist with their careers.
 Photos by Peter Dudek
Geoffrey Young in his Railroad Street gallery |
The current show, "Shot Spot," is typical of that while being only the second photo exhibition he has ever presented. The rare appearance of photography perhaps hints at his enthusiasm for things painted or drawn; a preference for the kind of subtleties found in hand-manipulated art forms. Indeed several of the artists in this show, such as James Sienna, Joyce Pensato and Katia Santibanez, are known as painters or visual artists of another sort.
Sixteen artists are included in "Shot Spot," most of them have three or more pieces in the exhibit and they provide the diversity one typically finds in a Geoffrey Young exhibition.
There are the full-bodied black-and-white nudes by Ariane Lopez-Huici of plus-sized, Rubenesque females huddled together in dark spaces.
 Photos cropped to fit
Thierry Dubreuil's trees |
| "Shot Spot" |
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Geoffrey Young Gallery
Open through Nov. 1
Hours: Thursday, Friday & Saturday: 11-5. 40 Railroad St. Great Barrington 413-528-6210 www.geoffreyyoung.com
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In his small-format color photos, Sienna uses a casual point-and-shoot approach to the equally informal subject matter of things around the house.
Jason Eskenazi presents gruesome and emotionally filled documentary images of his travels throughout the former Soviet territories.
And Thierry Dubreuil presents stark, high-contrast, black-and-white photos of leafless trees.
This small sampling hints at the varied range of content and approaches to photography present in a show that runs through Nov. 1.
As for Geoffrey, the writer and poet, his most recent book of poetry is "The Riot Act," published by Bootstrap Press and purchased here. There is a detailed review of "The Riot Act" here.
And, of course the gallery periodically hosts readings by writers. A schedule for which can be found on the gallery Web site.
Upcoming exhibits include:
Farrah Kerapetian
The next (and final) exhibition of the season will be by the young photographer, Farrah Kerapetian. A recent graduate of the master of fine arts program at at the University of California at Los Angeles, this will be Kerapetian’s first solo exhibition.
Young rarely gives solo shows, preferring group shows with works by a mad assortment of artists, but the photography of this emerging artist really impressed and she is slated to exhibit from Nov. 8 through Dec. 6. She studied with James Welling (who is in "Shot Spot") and this West Coast artist's career seems to be moving east in a hurry.
The opening reception is Nov. 8 from 5:30 to 7:30.
Top photo is "You Two" by Kerapetian.
Edited on 10/28/2008 to correct explanation of Simmon's work.
