sav.exe, curated by Will Penny in partnership with ARTS Southeast and Gallery 2424, presents a multi-site exhibition of new media installations developed around one question: What does it mean to work at the intersection of art and technology today? A select group of Savannah-based artists, known for challenging the boundaries of their respective mediums, have been asked to consider the role that technology plays in relation to their immediate surroundings and community.
The Ellis Gallery of ARTS Southeast will feature a Twitch activated claw machine by Sam Scheper, a sculptural interactive hug machine by Lee Cody, meditative video landscapes by Wioleta Kaminska, and an immersive sound installation by Joshua Alexander. Down the street at Gallery 2424, Abigail Portner and Greg Finger have created a fully immersive projection installation. All together, these works speak to the ingenuity and experimental spirit of artists working in the Southeast.
sav.exe will be on display across two locations – ARTS Southeast (2301 Bull St) and Gallery 2424 (2424 Drayton St) – from September 6 - October 12, 2024.
Gallery Hours at both venues: TH – SUN, 12 – 5PM
First Friday Opening Receptions at both venues: Friday, September 6 from 5 - 9PM
Curator Talk: Saturday, September 14 at 2PM at ARTS Southeast, followed by a walk to Gallery 2424 with an Artist Talk at 3PM
First Friday Closing Receptions at both venues: Friday, October 4 from 5 – 9PM
About the Curator
Will Penny
Will Penny is a multi-disciplinary artist whose practice incorporates an assortment of media ranging from painting, video, sculpture, programming, and projection. His work aims to combine traditional art making tools with new technologies, to create space to explore themes such as embodiment, presence, fantasy, and the sublime.
He was born in Woodstock, Ontario in 1984, and lives and works in Savannah, Georgia. He received his MFA in Painting and BFA in Painting from The Savannah College of Art and Design, and a diploma in Fine Art from Fanshawe College in London, Ontario.
His work has been exhibited at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga; Francis Marion University, Florence; Telfair Museums, Savannah; the Museum of Arts and Sciences, Macon; Georgia Southern University, Statesboro; and HUBweek, Boston. He is the recipient of the SCAD Dean’s Fellowship award, and his work has been acquired by collections such as Telfair Museums, Savannah; Google Ventures, New York; and the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta.
Featured Artists
Joshua Alexander, Lee Cody, Greg Finger, Wioleta Kaminska, Abigail Portner, and Sam Scheper - continue below to learn more about the featured artists
Joshua Alexander
Joshua “JXANDER” Alexander is a Savannah-based artist, composer and educator. Currently seeking an MFA in Sound Design from SCAD, he borrows from and challenges his background as a musician to artfully harness and shape sound and silence into contemplative experiences. Alexander’s conceptual works explore the aural imagination, subvocalization and concentration, amongst other phenomena. His audiovisual works have been featured at the Telfair Museum, Sulfur Studios, and Savannah State University’s Kennedy Fine Arts Gallery. Joshua is currently a music teacher in the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System and teaches music technology at the Frank Callen Boys and Girls Club, Horizons Savannah and Georgia Tech Summer Programs.
Lee Cody
Lee Cody is a multidisciplinary artist, designer, and educator recently based out of Savannah, GA. His work investigates the exploration of new frontiers and technologies, as well as the transparency and accountability of those emergent technologies—algorithms, machine learning, AI.
Greg Finger
Greg Finger is a globally renowned and highly sought after master light manipulator. His origins are traced back to the foothills of the Eastern Himalayas where he was known as 朽木. It was in this environment that he forged his artist identity, PLGRM, and began experiments with interactive installations. After many years honing his craft, he set out on the righteous path which led to the coastal lowlands of Savannah.
Wioleta Kaminska
Wioleta Kaminska is a Polish-born interdisciplinary artist and educator based in Savannah, GA. With an MFA in Design from California College of the Arts and an MA in Applied Linguistics from Warsaw University, Kaminska brings a diverse background to her artistic practice. Her work spans photography, drawings, paintings, and video installations, reflecting her multifaceted approach to visual expression.
Kaminska’s art focuses on the exploration of seemingly mundane and uneventful environments, places where time appears to pass slowly yet undergoes constant change. Through her observations, she invites viewers to slow down, reflect, and rediscover a sense of wonder in our fast-paced world.
Abigail Portner
Abigail Portner is a production designer, fine artist and filmmaker. Best known for her collaborations and whimsical set designs for Animal Collective, Abby also directs music videos, works in ceramics , and creates large scale, interactive installations all over the world. Abby most recently had a solo show at Skaftfell Art Center in East Iceland, and was included in the Celestial Seafarers exhibit at Ships of the Sea museum this past spring here in Savannah. Abby graduated from Parsons School of Design in NYC, lived in New York for many years along with Los Angeles but now calls Savannah home.
Sam Scheper
Sam Scheper, b. 1996, BFA works in an amalgamation of physical and ephemeral mediums. His work is often interactive in ways that draw enigmatic connections between technology and those who choose to engage with it. Fascinated by the theory of simulacra and simulation, Sam questions how current technology is constantly constructing new shared existences amongst its consumers.
ARTS Southeast’s programming is made possible with investment by the City of Savannah. This program is sponsored in part by Georgia Council for the Arts through the appropriations of the Georgia General Assembly. Georgia Council for the Arts also receives support from its partner agency - the National Endowment for the Arts.
Thank you to our Exhibition Sponsors: Gulfstream and Starlandia Art Supply
