Erik grau
“And All That Could Have Been”
November 15 - December 1, 2024
Opening Reception: November 15, 2024 6-9PM
A Presentation of a Functional Behavior Assessment of Art-Making Behavior and Artist Talk: December 1, 2024 3-4PM
Gallery Hours: Fridays 6-8PM, Saturdays 12-5PM, and Sundays 12-5PM
“And All That Could Have Been” a solo show by Erik Grau
“And All That Could Have Been,” is a solo show of work by Erik Grau, Piano Craft Gallery’s President. Erik will be showing over 70 artworks which will include paintings, sculptures, and installations. This exhibition comprises four years of work and is an extension of the collaborative cave installation Erik created with Crislin Waldman at the Brookline Art Center in 2019, where the two artists were the Echo Trobridge artists in residence.
During the exhibition, Erik will be hosting an artist talk in conversation with curator, Kamal Ahmad, to discuss process, materials, and concepts. Additionally, Erik will present A Functional Behavior Assessment of his art-making behavior as a way of incorporating his professional skillset as a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). During this presentation, Erik will summarize the results of the assessment and provide a hypothesized function of the target behavior. This will be followed by a discussion of clinical recommendations on how to increase or decrease the frequency and duration the art-making behavior as well as recommendations for future research and analysis.
Artist Statement
And All That Could Have Been explores the choices and consequences in my life path within our current political society. As a Libra and a Behavior Analyst I weigh options and think in terms of contingencies. Because of this I believe I am where I am supposed to be at this moment. Still, I wonder. Had the social constructs that resulted in my feeling of being less than not exist, would I have been able to live differently in the place where I was born? Had I not made the decisions to pursue a life of community service in an urban environment, what might I be contributing? Had I been more typical, might I be less obsessive and controlling in my daily behavior and relationships?
This body of work allows me to explore another world where my choices result in an alternative life path in the solitude and shelter of nature. By immersing myself within the earth and surrounded by untraversable landscapes I can imagine my protection and escape from the politicization and demands of contemporary existence. Inside these landscapes I can discover a magic that transcends my daily experiences and is a place where I become physically and mentally still.
Bio
Born and raised in Milwaukee, WI Erik studied sculpture at Carroll University before moving to Boston, MA to pursue a MFA in sculpture at Boston University. His early work focused on political ideas surrounding factory farming, while more recent work focuses on depictions of cats, crystals, and knick-knacks in his immediate home environment as well as escapist natural interiors and landscapes. In addition to visual art, Erik studied Applied Behavior Analysis and Education at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell, and works full time as a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and Boston Public Schools Inclusion Specialist. In 2019, he was named the Boston Public Schools Educator of the Year. From 2016-2019, Erik was a member of Boston’s Musa Collective, an artist owned and operated gallery space. He has exhibited work in the Midwest, East, and West coasts, and has work in the Wisconsin Collection and several private collections. Erik has completed residencies at Room 83 Spring in Watertown, MA and the Brookline Arts Center in Brookline, MA. Erik is the current President of the Piano Craft Gallery, a 501(c)3 nonprofit art gallery in Roxbury, MA where he has focused on diversity and inclusion through jurying and curating several exhibitions, supporting educational initiatives with local universities and Boston Public Schools, and facilitating cultural events.
