Howard Better
Collage/Sculpture Interactive Installation
May 5th - June 5th, 2023
Opening Reception:
Friday, May 5th from 5-7PM @ LPV
I am showing a group of various sized cans, which have been covered with collaged images, inside and out. Some of the cans will be lying on the ground and I encourage people to rearrange them. Some will be hanging on string suspended from above. A tension exists between the mass production of the cans and the individuality of the “labels” with which they have been covered. The pictures all come from discarded books and magazines. They are sorted, re-shuffled, juxtaposed and finally glued into place, forming new patterns, suggesting new relationships and creating new connections.
A tension exists between the mass production of the cans and the individuality of the “labels” with which they have been covered. The pictures all come from discarded books and magazines which, over time, have formed a large collection. The images are continually sorted, re-shuffled and juxtaposed until they are finally glued into place, forming new patterns, suggesting new relationships and creating new connections. The deciphering of the artwork is a journey and can lead to an opening up of new mental spaces.
HOWARD BETTER: I attended Pratt Institute and California Institute of the Arts in the late Seventies. My Art-making career has mostly involved moving images, first using 16mm film, then video and digital images. Some of my movies have been made to be projected on unusual surfaces, such as the side of a cliff or into the corner of a room. I spent two decades doing freelance animation, mostly working on Sesame Street and other similar shows. I began teaching video and animation classes in the early nineties. I have taught 3D computer animation to college students, but my real love is stop-motion animation. In recent years I have been working primarily with special ed students. When I am not teaching, I continue to use video and animation to make my own movies, which have been evolving over the years into stream of consciousness collage films. I began working with collaged objects about 20 years ago. I often place them in outdoor public spaces, and have ongoing installations in various locations around my neighborhood (Uptown Manhattan - Inwood). I have shown my collage work several times up in Yonkers, and also at the Soapbox Gallery in Brooklyn, the Gazebo Gallery in Inwood, NY, Fahrenheit 451 in Catskill, NY, and at the Tufano Gallery in Cobleskill, NY. I have shown my films in various locations over the years, including a group show in LPV.