Certain seemingly anodyne phrases in the English language — “Be my guest” comes to mind — can take a turn for the sardonic when given just a little twist.
“Here’s to the Future” is another of them. Its seemingly upbeat drift can, in the right hands, feel double-edged — perhaps as an invitation to hit the dance floor while Rome burns.
Curators Gail Gibson and K.C. Potter de Haan clearly had the gallows-humor potential of the phrase in mind when assembling “Here’s to the Future,” their new group show at G. Gibson Gallery. Its offerings are eye-catching — but they don’t exactly set your mind at ease.
Julie Blackmon’s playfully staged photograph, “Fake Weather,” is a case in point. In it, two warmly dressed and highly skeptical young girls stand in drifts of artificial snow with a wintertime scene behind them. This scene, however, is contained to a photo backdrop entirely surrounded by a snowless autumnal landscape.