The “Blind Handshake” of Fjord is a chance to dig beyond the narratives and intentions we tend to build up around our work in order to explore the more absurd and humorous aspects, whether planned or not. Physical comedy, glorification of the mundane, or even unadulterated absurdity occur in many of the images produced by contemporary practices, and in this exhibit, each is given equal time to amuse and bemuse the viewer with undercurrents of nonsense or opaqueness.

Anthony Bowers, “Congrats Bro (make the call, you won’t regret it).”

An interactive piece by Anthony Bowers entitled “Congrats Bro (make the call, you won’t regret it)” acts as an exemplary demonstration of this dismissive attitude and playful subversion. We find three metallic, reflective muslin panels paired with three small painted canvases. The muslin consists of a repeated pattern of confusing shapes and the rear end of a cat. A speech bubble tells us what the cat is saying (‘Meow,’ of course) while it stands atop some type of machine. On the canvases, we find three iterations of a man wearing a suit in profile, paired with the digits of a phone number. Upon calling the provided number, the listener is congratulated numerous times by a man’s voice that also insists on addressing the caller as ‘bro.’ Thanks to the dedicated VOIP phone line set up by Bowers, this number will indefinitely heckle wrong numbers with this inane mantra. Congrats indeed, bro.

Liam Thomas Holding, “Workout Buddies.”

Liam Thomas Holding includes a few pieces in the show, but perhaps the most noteworthy is “Workout Buddies.” Here, two oil paintings are attached by a stretchy rubber band – the kind used in physical therapy or similar exercise routines. The paintings themselves are gritty, textural studies, run ragged like CrossFit junkies approaching the end of their sweaty masochism. Between them, the knotted green band is taut, implying their separation and movement away from one another, but these two boxy objects are endowed with exactly zero sense of motion. Like it or not, this gym trip may take a while…

Tara White, “Big Meat, Little Meat.”

In a tribute of Aqua Teen proportions, Tara White puts on a pedestal a couple of humble blobs of ground meat whose fame is derived not just from the Cartoon Network, but from 4th of July cookouts since time immemorial. Only there are likely no animal products here, just two reddish chunks of paper mache resting not-so-high on their white Greco-Roman columns. Do these globules deserve literal pedestals? Does hamburger meat? The jury is out, but White seems to think so, regardless of whether these pieces are scarcely a couple of feet tall or not.

Tara White, “Das Frindge Boot (with rainbow).”

Speaking of feet, it’s also worth noting White’s other contribution, a celebration of footwear for “Das Frindge Boot (with rainbow).” The title either purposefully or accidentally misspells ‘fringe’ while also adding the German neuter article ‘das,’ effectively transforming the word from English to the Germanic “das Boot” or ‘boat.’ No sailing vessels are present, but a single brown leather boot rests before an inexplicably blue wood grain pattern and some type of plastic mat. Not one to shy away from unnecessary pomp, the artist adds a splash of the spectrum across the heeled garment in question with a curved little rainbow flair. Armed with all of this information, White’s image does not actually become easier to understand–in fact, quite the contrary. Aside from being the most infernal example of a shoe catalogue photo, this work remains all but impenetrable.

Ultimately, we must settle on understanding hardly anything about “Blind Handshake,” but that is the most we can expect from a show of this sort. Through embracing that strangeness and humor that bubbles just below the surface, the daily bombardment of social media and advertising can become almost a game, or at least palatable. If you are seeking something concise or pragmatic, “Blind Handshake” is definitely not for you. The show will be up until November 1.

Fjord is located at 2419 Frankford Avenue, Philadelphia; [email protected]; fjordspace.com.