Art offers new perspectives and allows us to re-examine old ones. Storytelling on the stage has the power to reach our hearts in unique ways, while comedy invites us to laugh at the absurd and the familiar. Visual artists use imagery to say what words cannot. In compiling a list of must-see art for the fall in Charleston, one common theme seemed to emerge: the power that art can play in helping us to heal and grow.
Zurfluh is healing through painting
West Ashley–based artist Karl Zurfluh creates representational paintings that feature ghostly pilots and flight symbols, often combining multiple techniques — from spray painting to graphic design — to achieve cinematic and dynamic images. Zurfluh, artist-in-residence at the Gibbes Museum of Art until Oct. 20, said he aims to “start a conversation at the human experience of grief, to build through light, (and show) positive directions we can use to heal.”
In addition to fine art painting and mural-making, Zurfluh has worked for more than 20 years as a creative director. He’s done graphic design, digital illustrations for movie posters and video games and animation at Nickelodeon. Since moving to Charleston in 2014, he has dedicated those skills to a singular focus: his paintings.
This choice to bring together disparate elements into a singular canvas has resulted in a rich visual language, which Zurfluh is using to talk about navigating loss and growing through pain in his current body of work, Light Pilots.
“The lines in my work represent the altitude indicator from an A4, which was my dad’s plane,” he said. “The altitude indicator is one of the most important instruments. It basically tells the pilot where the ground is, allows them to fly at night and in the fog. It introduces the idea of navigating through things that are unseen.”
When Zurfluh was 11 months old, his father, a Navy pilot, was killed in action.
“My family chose not to talk about the whole tragedy. And that silence about him was something I carried on for a long time. So with this body of work, I wanted to talk about it. I wanted to talk about my dad’s legacy.”
His paintings capture the journey of navigating grief and making new pathways through the darkness.
“I believe that we’re all pilots. Our consciousness navigates our physical bodies through this human experience. It’s not about a specific person. It’s not about a specific pilot. It’s about humanity,” Zurfluh said. “All of us have this experience of grief that we don’t talk about. I share my experiences with others so that we can all talk and grow as one.”
Visit Zurfluh’s studio at the Gibbes Museum of Art until Oct. 20. An exhibition of his
Light Pilots is set for spring 2025 at the Gibbes. Find open studio hours at gibbesmuseum.org and check out @karlzurfluh on Instagram.
MOJA shows we are all ‘One’
Now through Oct. 6, Charleston celebrates the 40th annual MOJA Arts Festival, spotlighting Black artistic and cultural contributions, especially through African American and Caribbean legacies. MOJA is named for the Swahili word for “one” — fitting for this celebration of harmony and community.
MOJA’s wide range of performances includes the Sept. 28 event Gospel at the Gaillard with singers Tasha Cobbs Leonard, Kelontae Gavin and Mike Brown & FOCUS. Or enjoy R&B with Lalah Hathaway at the Music Hall, and jazz with Hank Bilal and Willie Bradley at the Dock Street Theatre. There’s even an Oct. 4 show on the Gaillard stage from comedian Marlon Wayans (White Chicks, Scary Movie). Events in dance, poetry, storytelling, theater, children’s activities, local cuisines and of course, visual art round out the lineup.
This year’s poster art is made by local painter Demetrius Bing, who “makes abstract art from the heart,” according to our recent City Paper. And at the City Gallery near downtown’s Waterfront Park, the 2024 MOJA Juried Art Exhibition will be on view through Oct. 13, highlighting the work of artists across the state.
Learn more about MOJA and its offerings at mojafestival.com.
The Minutes shines light on political absurdity
The Footlight Players at Queen Street Playhouse offer a theatrical exploration of political inanity with The Minutes, a dark, straight from Broadway comedy by Tracy Letts, on stage Oct. 4 through 20.
Director Kyle Barnette said the show has a lot to say about “local politics, the erasing of some people’s history and the great lengths people will go just to maintain the status quo.”
Set in Big Cherry, a fictional midwestern small town, the play centers around the local city council. As the group convenes for its November meeting, all appears routine: They recite the pledge of allegiance under fluorescent light, hear out-of-touch proposals on ways to celebrate the upcoming Founder’s Day and chit-chat on mundane issues.
But newcomer Mr. Peel can’t get a straight answer to simple first-timer questions: Where are the minutes from the last meeting, and why is committee member Mr. Carp missing?
After much insistence, Mr. Peel finds out more than he anticipated — about what happened to Mr. Carp and about the town’s history, which its council, Mayor and citizens want to suppress.
As Barnette put it, the show is “consistently hysterical … until it’s not.” The Minutes asks us to consider what we would do when a hard truth surfaces. “Satire is a great way to point out flaws in society and make you step back and think” Barnette said. “Comedy is a very powerful tool because it can charm you and disarm you.”
The Minutes is on stage at Queen Street Playhouse Oct. 4 through Oct. 20. Find tickets starting at $46 at footlightplayers.net.
The Cake contends with collective division
In Bekah Brunstetter’s topical dramatic comedy, a vivacious, conservative North Carolina baker named Della faces a crisis of conscience when her goddaughter Jen asks her to bake a cake for her wedding to another woman. Inspired by a real case that went to the U.S. Supreme Court in 2018, this play offers an emotional exploration of an issue that disrupted our national consciousness.
The Void Theater Company offers subversive contemporary work in intimate settings — and putting those two approaches together is intentional, said artistic director Shannon Carmody, who also appears on stage.
“One of the things I deeply believe in is the power of storytelling through theater. When somebody is in the room with you, there’s nothing like it,” she said. “You’re all experiencing this story together. We’re all there together, breathing the same air, even if we have different views.”
The show is produced in collaboration with the North Charleston theater South of Broadway, where it will also be staged for two weekends in October. True to both companies’ missions, The Cake provides solace for the dynamic challenges faced by people in our community.
“[With] the direction that we’ve been going, and with the election coming up, it feels even more relevant now than it was when I first learned of it,” Carmody said. “Right now, everything’s so divided and people can’t even talk to each other. This show is so good because you really are rooting for everybody, and everybody has flaws. There’s not a ‘bad’ person.”
The play follows four characters from completely different spots on the political spectrum: Della (Langley Cornwell), her husband Tim (Dick Latham) and fiancées Jen and Macy (Shannon Marie Carmody and Teddi Lynette Thomas).
“The characters are so developed, it allows you to see why people make the choices they make,” Carmody said. “You see why their beliefs are so deeply ingrained based on their life experience. And then, it is also challenging that, and asking how we can grow.”
The Cake is on stage at South of Broadway Theatre Company, 3346 Rivers Ave., 1A, North Charleston, Oct. 12, 13, 19 and 20. Find tickets for $18 at citypapertickets.com and thevoidtheatre.org.
More upcoming visual and performing arts to enjoy
PURE Theatre covers love over time in The Last Five Years
Starring Manny Houston and Heather Rice, this musical follows a struggling actress and a successful writer as they sing about their failed marriage from two perspectives Nov. 5 to Nov. 21. Learn more at pureatheatre.org.
Beach Creeps takes over Hed Hi Studio
Hed Hi Studio hosts a one-night immersive experience by Charleston artists Creighton Barrett and Taylor Faulkner, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Oct. 11. Learn more at hedhistudio.com.
Spike Lee speaks at Music Hall
The Gibbes Museum of Art hosts a lecture from filmmaker and art collector Spike Lee on Oct. 15. Learn more: gibbesmuseum.org.
See a star-studded lineup at Riverfront Revival
Riverfront Revival, the two-day music festival curated by Hootie & the Blowfish founding member Darius Rucker, produced by SRE Entertainment, is set to take place Oct. 11 and Oct. 12 at North Charleston’s Riverfront Park. Find the lineup and details at riverfrontrevival.com.
The Charleston Literary Festival sparks conversation
The south’s largest celebration of literature kicks off Nov. 1 to Nov. 10 to provide a forum for the transformative power of books, conversations and big ideas. Learn more: charlestonliteraryfestival.com
The Halsey hosts a parade and celebration
The Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art is celebrating its 40th anniversary on Oct. 26. Festivities will include a free parade within the College of Charleston’s campus at 1 p.m. and a ticketed artsy event in the historic Cistern Yard. Learn more: halsey.cofc.edu.
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