Aric Obrosey 2006
November 16, 2006- December 20, 2006
511 W 25th St
In this exhibition of new drawings,
Aric Obrosey continues to mine the rich tradition of lacework, both for its formal qualities and as a symbol of a bygone economy wherein all consumer objects were laboriously created one by one. For the artist, the lace tradition parallels a personal devotion to the work of the hand as well as a love of detail, complexity and linear structure. His drawings repeat various gestures derived from lace, such as knots and twists, to form a modular network or background structure known as the "fond" in lace-making terms. From a distance, the meandering pencil lines appear to the viewer as interwoven threads of differing textures. Close inspection reveals that the texture of each thread is actually a finely detailed pattern, either abstract or representational. The content of the patterns suggest industry, mass production, handwork, obsolescence and technological advance. As the threads tangle, twist and come into contact with one another, multiple associations and interpretations are suggested regarding the interplay of culture, technology and handcraft.
Obrosey further reinforces his themes by adding an additional layer of representation. In many of the drawings, the individual threads coalesce in the center to form larger objects that can be thought of as recent cultural relics such as a 45 RPM record, a cotton work glove, and a mirrored disco ball. These relics do not appear as solid forms, but rather seem caught in an instant between spontaneous generation and wild unraveling. In a meditative manner, the viewer’s eye follows the threads in and out as they pass by each other, through the larger forms, off the page and back again. The force of Obrosey’s delicate, minute and beautiful marks dawns slowly – he creates Gordian knots hinting at the fabric of society and the inextricably intertwined threads of history, progress and power aided by technology and labor.
Art Reviews of Aric Obrosey 2006
New York Times December 1, 2006 | | Roberta Smith | | "You can charge Aric Obrosey with being one more facile art-guy making superbly skillful drawings for an insatiable art market. Or you can look at his work, which tends to evade that charge because of its restraint and Conceptual coherence...." |
Books and DVDs related to artists in this show| Location | map | | Gallery | McKenzie Fine Art | | Address | 511 W 25th St New York (Chelsea) NY, 10001 United States | | Phone | 212-989-5467 | | Fax | 212-989-5642 | | Hours | Tue-Fri 10-6, Sat 11-6 | |
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