Idée
Fixe : Drawings of an Obsessive Nature
Featuring work by Man Bartlett, Astrid
Bowlby, Jacob El Hanani, Dan Fischer, Shane Hope, Joan Linder, Aric Obrosey,
Michael Waugh, and Daniel
Zeller
May 6 - June 11,
2011
Opening Reception: Friday, May 6, 6:00 PM - 8:00
PM
Winkleman Gallery is very pleased to present Idée Fixe: Drawings of
an Obsessive Nature, a group exhibition of black and white drawings by
Man Bartlett, Astrid Bowlby, Jacob El Hanani, Dan Fischer, Shane Hope,
Joan Linder, Aric Obrosey, Michael Waugh, and Daniel
Zeller. The drawings in Idée Fixe either build toward or
seem to disintegrate away from complex systems through what is obviously a
time-consuming, perhaps even obsessive process. Running the gamut from highly
photo realistic representation to abstractions that suggest imagined landscapes
or fields, these works are created from intense, often repetitive
gestures.
Man
Bartlett, spiritus mundi, 2008, ink on paper, 18" x 24" (46 x
61cm), courtesy of the
artist.
Astrid Bowlby, 11.1.07
(Dark Garden), 2007, ink on paper, 11" x 17" (28 x 43cm),
courtesy
of the artist and Gallery Joe, Philadelphia,
PA.
Dan
Fischer, Battered Nan Goldin, 2000, graphite on paper, 15" x
22.25"
Joan Linder,
Black Weed (Front Lawn), 2010, ink on paper, 60" x 65" (152 x
165cm). Courtesy of the artist
and
Mixed Greens, New
York.
Aric Obrosey,
Turbulent Fond, 2006,
graphite on Japanese paper, 30" x 39.75" (76 x 101cm). Courtesy of
the
artist and McKenzie Fine Art, New
York.
Jacob El Hanani, Gauze, 2001, ink on paper, 23.5" x 37.5"
(59.7 x 95.3cm). Courtesy of the artist and Nicole
Klagsbrun,
New
York
For more information, please contact Edward Winkleman at 212.643.3152 or info@winkleman.com.
___________________________
In the Curatorial Research
Lab
The Beauty Process
Featuring work by Nancy Lorenz and Jeffry Mitchell.
Organized by Jay
Grimm.
May 6 - June 11,
2011
Opening Reception: Friday, May 6, 6:00 PM - 8:00
PM
The curatorial intent of this exhibition is to prove that an intelligent
sense of beauty in contemporary art neednt preclude an emotional response
to a works decorative
qualities.
Consisting of a dialog between two artists who harness the initial
attraction of ornament into something more lasting, The Beauty Process is
an inquiry into the way in which this stance at once hinders and enhances the
production of art that has meaning to contemporary viewers. The works of
Nancy Lorenz and Jeffry Mitchell possess an initial seductive
impact which gives way, over time, to a sophisticated, almost timeless form of
aesthetic appreciation and demonstrates that true, lasting beauty penetrates
deeper than the
surface.
Nancy Lorenz uses traditional Asian art-making techniques in her
work, such as gilding and inlay. The time-consuming methods result in lustrous,
contemplative paintings, where the meditative mood echoes the slowness of their
creation. For The Beauty Process, Lorenz has created a small-scale
screen, consisting of 12 interlocking panels which are decorated on both sides.
On one side, a dragon is depicted in watercolor over gold leaf; on the other
abstract shapes which recall a rock garden arrangement float on a field of
etched lines referencing the geometry of raked stones. The miniature screen,
over 6 feet wide but just over 2 feet tall, brings to mind the form of a
tea screen, used in the late Victorian era. These objects (used to
protect table-top burners from being extinguished by a breeze) were often
transformed from the merely practical
through
elegant decoration, becoming a focal point for an aesthetic experience, a very
apt metaphor for Lorenz
work.
Jeffry Mitchell will exhibit two ceramic vessels that echo
Lorenz reference to tea. In the traditional Japanese tea ceremony,
participants pass a cup of tea to each other, pausing from time to time to
appreciate the beauty of the cup itself. Mitchells vessels, while much
larger (and, because they are pierced in many places, not functional), provoke a
similar response in the viewer. Inscribed lines depict floral forms in a loopy,
charming manner, while a rich, glossy glaze invites prolonged contemplation.
Mitchell will also exhibit a Pressed Snow Flake Sculpture, done
with cut paper pressed between two pieces of glass in a frame. Mimicking the
manner in which dried flowers are often displayed, Mitchell here tries to convey
the fleeting joy of seeing a snowflake. At once childlike and humorous, the
collage/cutting blends ideas of craft, design
and
beauty without
irony.
Lorenz and Mitchell, close friends from the Tyler School of Art, have
pursued their own vision over the course of their successful careers. Entirely
cognizant of contemporary art, the two have advocated for the importance of
beauty in a manner that may seem atavistic. The Beauty Process is an
experiment to see how an environment where aesthetics is put above all other
concerns is perceived in the heart of the Chelsea art
world.
Nancy Lorenz, Rock Garden/Dragon Screen, 2011,
gold-leaf, silver leaf, watercolor, pigment bole and
gesso
on 12 interlocking
panels, 27" x 77.5". Courtesy the
artist.
Jeffry Mitchell, Ohio Honey Pot, 2010, glazed earthenware, 10"
x 10" x 10". Courtesy the
artist.
For more information, please contact Jay Grimm at 212.643.3152 or jay@winkleman.com.
|
