Participating Artists: Jirard Bond, Chelsee Bosker, Paul Carter, Ryan Cooke, Dwayne Curry, Mandy Demorest, Lewis Foster, Nicholas Granch, Ashley Hawkins, Susan Hudson, Shannon Lovelace, Deanna Poppenger, Angela Rhodes, Hugh Rollocks, Gregory Rosati, Christian Salice, Brahem Shaw, Jeremy Taylor, Jaylin Timmons, Lorenzo Waters, and Raymond Wells.
Curated by Anthony Marcellini and Amber Nax
Exhibition Dates: June 12 – July 12, 2025
Location: PASC, 9301 Kercheval Ave, STE 2, Detroit, MI, 48214
PASC Detroit Gallery Hours: Th, Fr, & Sa, 12– 5 pm and by appointment
“[…] to say something is in the full normal sense to do something-which includes the utterance of certain noises, the utterance of certain words in a certain construction, and the utterance of them with a certain ‘meaning'” – J. L. Austin
Words, letters, symbols, even noises, are utilized in complex ways to communicate in the PASC studio. Some PASC artists are conventionally articulate, in that they read, write, speak, and communicate in common ways. While others may communicate only through sounds and gestures, words may have different meanings than their traditional definition. Some may echo words spoken to them back to the speaker, and others may be verbally silent but can write or sign to communicate their thoughts. Regardless of their verbal or written communication styles, we learn to understand everyone’s language by considering the context, what lies between and around the words to get their full significance. We become aware of the importance of language’s tone, color, gestures and volume, and how the ways words are presented and performed illustrates their meaning.
The mid-twentieth century British philosopher of language J. L. Austin describes languages as a performative act. In a series of talks, compiled together in the aptly titled collection of essays, How to Do Things with Words, [which could also have been a great title for this exhibition], Austin argues that language is a form of performance, meaning it is an expressive action to carry out a specific function or act. And like all performances, language when uttered or expressed, spoken or written, is also an act of creation; the speaker creates and brings a thought, an idea or a feeling into being.
All Text, All Love, presents artworks that primarily use written language as a strong component of their artwork. Here letters and words become the literal characters of the artwork. Perhaps the artist’s name, one of the earliest words we are taught, such as in the artwork of Paul Carter, who repeats his name over and over, creating a layered abstraction, mixing it with numbers and other letters. Paul’s name becomes less an identifier of the individual and more a lens through which the world is perceived. Or an artist may create lists or repeated phrases, such as in the artwork of Angela Rhodes and Chelsee Bosker, emphasizing the importance of a collection of statements to communicate an intensely held thought or idea. Or the artist may use words and letters as artistic objects, like in the artwork of Dwayne Curry and Jeremy Taylor, where, similar to a depiction of a human body in a figurative painting, the way the written words are presented gives them an anthropomorphic or body-like quality, communicating emotions and actions. Taken as a whole, these artworks push the boundaries of words as performance.
As artworks these words, letters, and numbers, are an inscription, a presentation of existence, marked onto paper and canvas, like an ‘I was here’ statement etched into a school desk, or painted on a wall. They represent not just a thought to be communicated but a statement, a viewpoint and message of a life lived.
It is in this sense that we come to the All Love side of our exhibition’s title. PASC is dedicating this exhibition to Deanna Poppenger, a prolific and much beloved PASC Westland studio artist, who suddenly passed away in May. Deanna left an indelible mark on our studio, a smiling, playful and consistently optimistic presence who resonated joy and goodwill throughout PASC, and whose positive energy we are lucky to have known. Deanna’s spirit has been drawn and painted into a series of incredible artworks, often featuring her own name, alongside other words, numbers and letters. Her artworks have been collected by many and now reside in several collections across the US. We are happy to continue to be blessed by her energetic presence, featuring several of her artworks in this exhibition. Thank you for all the love D!