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Duke Riley at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania!
Reclaiming the Lost Kingdom of Laird
Installation by Duke Riley
January 29 – April 9, 2010
Opening Reception: February 4, 2010
Historical Society of Pennsylvania
1300 Locust Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106
In conjunction with Philagrafika 2010, The Historical Society of PA will be introducing a rare art installation by contemporary artist and patriot, Duke Riley, inspired by the untold story of Petty’s Island.
Petty’s Island, formerly known as, “Shackamaxon Island” and “Treaty Island“, is a 292 acre of land situated between Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Camden, New Jersey. In the 18th and 19th centuries, it was known to be a popular site for dueling pirates, place of violence and shipwrecks. In the 1850′s, Ralston Laird, an Irish Immigrant, lived on the island as a resident for nearly 60 years to eventually proclaim himself as “king”. As of today, it’s completely uninhabited and is currently owned by the state of New Jersey to undergo future environmental development since its 2009 donation from Venezuelan-owned, Citgo.
Duke Riley’s objective as a contemporary multi-media artist is congruent to the pertinence of the island’s history. In his work of drawings, mosaics and installations, he strives to “address the prospect of residual but forgotten unclaimed frontiers on the edge and inside overdeveloped urban areas, and their unsuspected autonomy”. Inspired by the artifacts extracted from the island and documentation from the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Riley includes additional objects from Laird’s descendants and in essence, re-claims the island behalf of them.
To register for the opening reception, go here
Below: examples of recent works by Duke Riley
For more information regarding Duke Riley, go to www.dukeriley.info/
