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June 28, 2007- August 17, 2007
Reception: June 28, 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Siri Berg, James Florschutz, Gudrun Mertes-Frady, Lloyd Martin, Enrico Riley, Guy Russell
Reeves Contemporary
535 W 24th StReeves Contemporary opens a group show on the theme of "The Grid", featuring artwork by Siri Berg, James Florschutz, Gudrun Mertes-Frady, Lloyd Martin, Enrico Riley, and Guy Russell. The exhibition opens on June 28th and runs through August 1st; during the first two weeks of August, the gallery is open by appointment only. Note that the summer hours are Tuesday - Friday, 10 - 5:30.
Siri Berg is a well-known abstract painter whose works can, at times, incorporate three-dimensional elements. In this series, however, the work is confined to an exploration of the square interrupted by flat color fields. In her chosen format of the grid, the choices of composition, surface treatment and color are quiet, and self-contained. The chromatic delicacy softens the geometric approach. Berg has been showing her work in this country and in Europe, notably her home country of Sweden, for several decades.
James Floschutz is a sculptor who lives and works in Vermont; he has done numerous commissions for public spaces in the northeast, and his work has been included in various museum shows. Of his work, he states, "In a series of fourteen "Stations", I explore the idea of stratification through the process of layering materials in a grid. Each one is made of the detritus from our throwaway society with a myriad of materials. These layers of "stratum" give the allusion of a cross-section of earth or a landfill. While assembling these formations, I am constantly sifting through layers of events or experiences in my life similar to archeologists as they examine sediment at an archeological site to uncover information about a culture."
For Lloyd Martin, paintings - by necessity - combine physical intensity and intellectual rigor. The physicality of the paintings is self-evident: they are inevitably dripped and stained, veiled and layered, ultimately creating a surface that has a sumptuous veneer. In the process of creating this physical, tangible aspect of the painting, Martin creates openings --portals and apertures that have been the architectural underpinning of his work for the past several years. Martin's work has been included in several museum shows, including The Philadelphia Art Alliance, The Mead Art Museum at Amherst College, and The Florence Griswold Museum, among others.
Mertes-Frady has been following the tradition of abstract modernism for several decades, reinventing her approach to her paintings and reinvigorating the conversation around this genre. In a series from a few years back, the geometric grids of New York City provided the philosophical and visual platform for works that incorporated angular, hard-edged lines over a soft, layered underpainting. In the short period of time since, the lines have become syncopated rhythms that confer a more celestial or tidal momentum; the underpainting has become even more diffuse, deep and tonal. Lilly Wei says of her work "She unleashes a full range of paining techniques, applying an array of oil colors, thickly, thinly, layer after layer that are sometimes opaque, sometimes luminous". She shows regularly in Europe and in the United States.
Riley meticulously layers white paint in gentle, lapping rows, over a consistent color ground. The underpainting is allowed to barely show through; and thus the openings in each piece becomes ever more important. In this specific series of works, the pieces are jazz notations made visual and rhythmic. Each lovely piece is made carefully, methodically, and according to a proscribed sequence of brush marks that have become emblematic of his work. He received an M.F.A. in painting from Yale University in New Haven , CT in 1998, and is currently a Senior Lecturer and Area Head of Painting and Drawing in the Studio Art department of Dartmouth College.
Guy Russell has been in the process of reconstructing his visual brain after suffering a stroke. He found that he had to teach himself about color and facture again; and he also found that his approach to painting had changed. This long recovery process has been fascinating for him, albeit difficult; he is still adjusting to the new visual vocabulary that has emerged by virtue of his new work. The carefully constructed grids in this series are coupled with subtle and intense color reminiscent of the Renaissance. These works are distinguished by their nod to an almost eastern sensibility; one recalls kimono patterns and the silk fans of historical Japan. Known for his minimalist photography in the 1970s, he switched to painting in the 1980s. His work is in the collections of the Fogg Art Museum, Addison Gallery of American Art, George Eastman House and other public and private collections.
Books and DVDs related to artists in this show
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