EXHIBIT

The Elephant 6 Recording Co.: The Visual Artists

November 10 – December 25, 2023

Artists’ Reception: December 7, 2023, 5:00 PM, Ciné
(Rumor has it that the infamous Dixie Blood Mustache might make an appearance.)

ATHICA@Ciné presents an exhibition of artwork by the Athens-based visual artists who participated in the sprawling art collective known as The Elephant 6 Recording Company. Known locally as E6, the collective brought energy and collaboration to the Athens music scene in the late 1990’s. Originating in Louisiana, the founders developed ties with Denver, Colorado and Athens, Georgia, eventually hosting around 50 different acts under the E6 umbrella.  Notable founding ensembles Apples in Stereo, the Olivia Tremor Control, and Neutral Milk Hotel were hailed for their contributions to indie and underground music, with a low-fi ethos that continues to be emulated by others and honored by music journalists and in the recent documentary “The Elephant 6 Recording Company.” Athens-based associated acts that have received significant recognition include of Montreal and Elf Power.

The exhibition, organized by former of Montreal keyboardist Dottie Alexander with curatorial assistance from Beth Sale, features works by E6 artists W. Cullen Hart, Jill Carnes, Beth Sale, Lucy Calhoun, Hannah Jones, Andy Gonzales, and Jeremy Kiran Fernandes. Many wore multiple hats for E6, both as contributing musicians and as artists who shaped the visual elements of albums, posters, and performances. The recent premiere of the “The Elephant 6 Recording Company” documentary at Ciné brought the collective together to celebrate the phenomenon and music of the E6 scene,  prompting the inspiration to further celebrate the visual artists who participated through this exhibition.

According to the exhibition organizer Dottie Alexander, "The Elephant 6 Recording Company, recently celebrated in a documentary of the same name, is widely regarded as an art collective that nurtured a thriving musical community which launched many heralded bands out of Athens, GA in the late 1990s. Equally as influential to the spirit and ethos of the movement were the visual artists, many of whom enriched the scene with vibrant works that adorned album covers, stages, and the physical spaces of the members of the collective."

The Elephant 6 Recording Co.: The Visual Artists is sponsored in part by The James E. and Betty J. Huffer Foundation, The Georgia Council for the Arts, and The National Endowment for the Arts.