Cecile Chong – The Layers Beneath

In her layered paintings and installations Cecile Chong brings to life notions of “otherness”, how cultural filters make us see each other. Her departure point derives organically from her experiences since early childhood. Here she shares some of these experiences, the genesis of her diverse body of work, and her upcoming projects.

Cecile Chong, DNA Matching, 2018
Encaustic and mixed media on wood
11 x 8 inches, photo courtesy of the artist

Continue reading “Cecile Chong – The Layers Beneath”

Las Gravitas at ODETTA

Photos by Sharilyn Neidhardt, unless otherwise indicated
A show of swirling color and geometry finds ways to discuss complicated issues of violence and social collapse.

What drew me to ODETTA on a very chilly Saturday were the colorful, pagoda-like structures in the main space. Human-scale structures that echo lanterns or birdcages are covered in awkward spiky garlands of colored plastic tubes. The festive air created by the riot of bright color seems fun at first, and it’s only on second inspection that a viewer realizes the color is coming from spent shotgun shells.

Margaret Roleke, ‘pop pop’ (installation view) spent shot gun shells, wire, zipties, steel boxes. 2 boxes each approx. 9’h x 5’w x 5’d

Continue reading “Las Gravitas at ODETTA”

Patricia Fabricant – Weaving a Fluctuating Self

After November 2016 Patricia Fabricant‘s paintings shifted  from dense and layered abstractions to self portraits depicting fluctuating expressions and altogether underscoring post election malaise. Fabricant developed an intriguing mechanism of observation and layering. Her gaze is meant to be neutral, just a stare into the mirror but throughout the weaving process,  chance yields  unintended emotions –  knowing, anxious, sad.  The artist describes in this interview for Art Spiel her process, ideas, and on going projects.

Patricia Fabricant, Emotions: Angry, Love, Confused, Sad, Shocked, Anxiety, 2016. Each gouache on paper, 16 x 12 inches, photo courtesy of the artist

Continue reading “Patricia Fabricant – Weaving a Fluctuating Self”

Color Matters at Galerie Richard

All images courtesy of Galerie Richard unless otherwise indicated

Color is a function of reflected light and it is intrinsic to everything we see. Color is also freighted with emotion for humans – certain colors can excite or depress us even without our awareness – teases, shouts, whispers, sings. Color can be fugitive or it may sound an alarm. As a painter and former paint-maker, color has been a lifelong obsession for me. It’s also the focus of a new, stunning group show at Galerie Richard on the Lower East Side.

Work by Carl Fudge facing work by Jamie Martinez

Continue reading “Color Matters at Galerie Richard”

Sarah Bednarek – ChiChi DooDad

In her sculptures Sarah Bednarek refers to minimalism with humor and love. She  turns minimalism’s aesthetics on its head – utilizing  minimalist language of precision to highlight the chaotic and unexpected . Her sculptures are on a human scale – witty and  visceral through playful material and form.  Bednarek shares with Art Spiel some insight on her life and her recent exhibition, ChiChi DooDad at Tiger Strikes Asteroid New York.

Sarah Bednarek, Hi There, 2018, mdf, velvet, paint, 33 x 68 x 10 in. , photo Courtesy of Yael Eban

Continue reading “Sarah Bednarek – ChiChi DooDad”

A Visit With Jaynie Crimmins

All photos by Catherine Kirkpatrick
Jaynie Gillman Crimmins in her studio

Just inside Jaynie Gillman Crimmins studio is a small table with a mirror, a piece of coral, and jar of shells. By the time you leave, you understand what they say about her inspiration and concerns. But they’re quickly forgotten as you go further, encounter the artist’s work and fall under its spell. Continue reading “A Visit With Jaynie Crimmins”

Austin Thomas – Lots of little things at LABspace

All images: Austin Thomas collages, photographed by the author

 

Austin Thomas’s drawings, Lots of little things, currently on view at LABspace, a small gallery in a tiny town, are diminutive in size but vast in scope.  Arranged in three irregular rows on one wall, these forty-odd drawings offer the viewer enough to look at for several hours.  I have been to the show three times and was sorry to leave each time. They seem to display almost everything drawing can be.
Continue reading “Austin Thomas – Lots of little things at LABspace”

Strange Girls at Garvey Simon

Artist Melissa Stern says that the chance to work with dancer Louisa Pancoast on their Strange Girls Dance project at Garvey / Simon was a wonderful bit of serendipity. They met at exactly the right time. Pancoast is the Assistant Director of Garvey Simon Gallery, but her real  passion is dance. “She is a gifted dancer and choreographer,” says Stern.

Melissa Stern, Clay, wood, resin, paint. 34 x 12 x 7 inches. 2018 Continue reading “Strange Girls at Garvey Simon”

Julia von Eichel – Portraits of Emotional States

Although Julia Von Eichel‘s sculptures appear to be fragile, at times almost on the verge of collapse, they are held together as if against all odds due to their obstinate resilience. Whether mounted on the wall, hanging on a wire, or drawn on mylar, her shapes embody a restless exploration of the dimensional form – how its defined by line and light. In this interview for Art Spiel the artist talks in depth about her thought and work process.

Julia von Eichel, I’ll eat you up, I love you so, 2016, silk, acrylic, wood, thread, plastic, and epoxy, 40 x 30 inches x 24 inches, courtesy of Julia von Eichel

Continue reading “Julia von Eichel – Portraits of Emotional States”