Take Only What you Can Carry With You (2017, curated by Andrew Paul Woolbright)

Take Only What You Can Carry With You was an exhibition curated by Andrew Paul Woolbright and presented by Yellow Peril in 2017. Featuring artists Lauren Fejarang, Andrea Frank, Daniel Giordano, Kathy Goodell, Matt Harle, Matt Mahoney, and Martin Smick, the exhibition explored a contemporary take on Romanticism, particularly in the context of the post-2016 political landscape. Woolbright framed the works in relation to the shifting and fragile state of Romanticism, suggesting that the ideals of utopia and progress, once associated with the movement, have become more tenuous and urgent in the face of modern societal crises.

The works on display ranged in style and media but shared a common thread of exploring personal, cultural, and ecological responsibility. Fejarang's sculptures sought to transform functional materials into unrecognizable, otherworldly objects, while Frank's pieces reflected the weight of historical and ecological guilt. Giordano’s works were a mix of unsettling, provocative forms that blended humor, horror, and sci-fi. Goodell’s art engaged with themes of perception and consciousness, while Harle’s sculptures balanced monumentality and fragility, blending painting and sculpture. Mahoney’s eclectic figures, resembling skeletal or mutated beings, raised questions about societal decay and ecological collapse. Smick’s paintings challenged the boundaries of decorative art, merging democratic and expressive approaches.

The exhibition was a meditation on how Romanticism, in its modern form, navigates the complex intersections of politics, identity, and ecological collapse, offering a space for reflection on a fractured world.