Strand Gallery

November 25, 2017 – January 7, 2018

Opening Reception Saturday, November 25, 2017
6:00 – 9:00 PM
Artist talk at 6:30 PM

Dan Schmahl
Sufers Beach

Dan Schmahl’s exhibition, Sufer’s Beach, takes its title from Sex Wax graffiti on Galveston’s seawall at the artist’s favorite surfing spot. In someone’s attempt to designate the spot as a “surfer’s beach,” Schmahl found the moniker poetic and a reminder that life is suffering, even in his search for a beach break. Schmahl’s exhibition documents the romantic pipe-dream of a Galveston, Texas beachfront utopia. This hopeful surf spot will be portrayed through a body of work containing photographs, video, printed matter, and a 13-foot-tall viewing platform resembling one of Galveston’s seawall lifeguard stands. Schmhal describes the stand as, “an interactive perch and sheltered gallery bench; a pivotal seat from which viewers can feel the gulf breeze through the A/C ducts, and envision an alternative future amidst the changing tides of the Anthropocene. It’s a show about what a little optimism and collective yips and howls can create: paradise dammit!”

Dan Schmahl received his BFA from Florida State University in 2012. He was a resident artist at the Galveston Artist Residency from 2013 to 2014. His work has been included in exhibitions at the Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston; Warte für Kunst, Kassel, Germany; Austin Center for Photography, Austin, TX; Signal Gallery, Brooklyn, NY; MASS Gallery, Tallahassee, FL; and Working Method Contemporary, Tallahassee, FL. Schmahl owns and operates Super Hit Press, a project to self-publish handmade artist books and zines, and is a member of the Galveston DIY collective WAKE. Schmahl currently lives and works in Galveston, TX.

www.danschmahl.com

This exhibition is supported in part by McCoy’s Building Supply.