Slowly but surely, BRIC Contemporary Art’s vast collection of slide image archives is making its way into the digital world. It’s about time these pictures were dusted off and brought out into the light. They provide the opportunity to see nearly 28 years of the Rotunda Gallery’s history.
The first show, “Figurative Works on Paper,” which opened in November 1981, featured works which were not only not confined to paper, but which also refused to be trapped within the gallery space. One light installation spilled out of the door of what was then Rotunda’s Borough Hall location down the surrounding street.
Collecting slides has been an interesting process. It has been a chance to delve into Rotunda’s sordid history. Or atleast, sordid fashion history. While slide after slide was making its way through our newly purchased scanner, the opportunity to admire the manifold of 80’s wardrobe choices presented itself. One stunning ensemble, worn to the opening of the May 1982 “Bell Show,” is comprised of a blindingly-white, padded shouldered, nylon one piece:
But even with these interesting sights at the openings, what was still best at Rotunda Gallery, even back then was on the walls (or floors, or ceilings, or streets…). The care taken by the innumerable amount of photographers to document the gallery’s many manifestations shows that across the decades, the art and it’s connection to real people always came first.
-Ilana (Intern cum Archivist)
