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Wall-to-Wall Online Gallery
May 10 - June 29, 2008
Curator: Mike Deetsch
Statement
Drawing is continuously being reinterpreted as an ever-important form of art and communication. From early childhood scribbles to notebook doodles, it has helped to present ideas that cannot otherwise be conveyed verbally. Wall-to-Wall, an exhibition of large-scale works, challenges the traditional use, scope, definition, and interpretation of drawing as a medium. The exhibition explores the process of mark-making and use of material – both in conventional and unconventional ways – to demonstrate that contemporary drawing “is no longer limited to the preparatory sketch or to pencil on paper.” (1) Instead, wall installations, drawings as sculpture, interactive pictures, and works on paper highlight the varying uses, strategies, and processes of contemporary drawing and draftsmanship. The monumental size emphasizes the over-all impact of marks as a whole, and at the same time, commands the viewer’s attention to the details, requiring one to take many approaches to the work.
Looking through the exhibition, one will notice an intermingling of themes and subject matter that weave in and out of the gallery spaces: works that are interactive, those that examine the intuitive and subconscious, and others that present mark-making as a form of mapping. These topics are by no means exhaustive in the realm of drawing nor are they meant to be presented as such. As Laura Hoptman writes, “…a form of drawing has arisen that…is attached less to process than finished product, that describes a specific object or state of mind, that maps a specific experience, [or] that tells a particular story.” (2)
In Jelena Berenc’s Body Drawing the audience is asked to actively engage in the artwork, inviting viewers to look through the individual sheets of paper and see the parts of her body that she has chosen to reveal. Likewise, Nate Sensel’s Ellipses layers are removed by the viewer in order to reveal the works underneath. In both instances the drawings are shaped and transformed with the assistance of the audience, allowing them to shape and intimately view the works.
Others like Kathryn Jill Johnson and Phillip March Jones explore the subconscious in a surrealistic, intuitive, and overwhelmingly formalist approach. Johnson, in Block Party, juxtaposes images that do not relate to each other, nor would they be found together in reality, in order to see how the characters interact. Jones on the other hand is exploring his inner self and revealing his hidden truths.
Many of the artist’s use drawing as a means of recording time, thought, and space. As Franz Ackerman states “…mental maps are two-dimensional equivalents of…thought processes rather than transcriptions of what…[one] sees or experiences…” (3) Mental maps are clearly the subject of artists like Colin Keefe and Michelle Dussault. These works range from the surreal, as in Keefe’s Isometric City Drawing to the physical in Dussault’s Hippo Camp. However, neither map is an accurate physical portrayal.
While the exhibition showcases works that at first glance may not seem to be drawings, it demonstrates the use of drawing as a foundation for broader reaching work. This exhibition presents twenty-five drawings, created by sixteen artists, which include installations, sculptures, and large scale works on paper. In organizing Wall-to-Wall, LAL sought to challenge perceptions of the medium and present drawing as an autonomous form of art making.
(1) Dexter, Emma. Vitamin D: New Perspectives in Drawing. London: Phaidon Press, 2005
(2) Hoptman, Laura. Drawing Now: Eight Propositions. Exh. cat. New York: The Museum of Modern Art, 2002
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Response to Fear Online Gallery
March 15 - April 27, 2008
Curators: Kate Sprengnether & Michael Goodlett
Curator's Statement
We live in a society that is fascinated with fear. A perfect storm of events has served to create a fearful, anxiety-ridden culture—from constant media reminders of possible threats, to a new kind of social interaction based on confessions of shared anxieties. Response to Fear addresses the commonality of fear and explores the differing ways that artists work through and deal with their fears and anxieties. The artwork in the exhibit reflects several different themes: artwork that is made as a response to the artist’s own fears and anxieties because the art-making process itself is therapeutic and provides relief; artwork that literally or figuratively protects the artist or the viewer from a specific threat; and artwork that comments on the role that fear plays in our culture.
In forming this exhibit, it was important to us that the artwork reflect the positive and constructive ways that artists respond to fear. We chose work that provides a more sophisticated and layered response than work that is made out of anger or work that is made to frighten the viewer.
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QX.net Nude International 2008 Online Gallery
January 11 - February 24, 2008
Juror: Jay Gorney
For over twenty years the Nude exhibit has been presented by the Lexington Art League. As in the past, the LAL continues to examine the body as an inextricable part of the human experience through the perspective of visual artists. From the classic to the controversial, artists continue to redefine this subject through choice of materials, style and concept. The purpose of the QX.net Nude International 2008 is to showcase a range of interpretations of this vessel that contains us, including works that challenge the traditional execution of figurative art such as Helene Steene’s Yellow Diver or present issues related to the body, as in Mare Vaccaro’s Dreaming.
Our familiarity with the human body begets the challenge to the artist—transforming that which is known and perhaps private, into an expression of thought and idea for everyone to see. As juror Jay Gorney wrote, “…my selections tend to favor those artists…who attempt to breathe new life or explore new ways of working within [a particular] medium…[while looking for a] unique point of view, and for the emergence of a distinctive artistic voice.” Within the exhibition, idealized beauty exists alongside exaggerated blemishes, while humor co-exists with pain.
As evidenced in Mr. Gorney’s statement, the work in the exhibition is a myriad of styles and concepts from the cartoon-like figures of Chris Keinke (Bridal Envy and Big Gun) to the lifelike figures of Tamie Beldue (Draped Fabric and Temperament II). The interaction of these works in the exhibition enables one to see the past, present, and future of figurative art. And while the classical study of the human figure will remain integral to the study of art, works that break with traditional practice will continue to challenge both artist and viewer alike.
For the QX.net Nude International 2008, Jay Gorney, Director of Contemporary Art at the Mitchell-Innes & Nash Gallery in New York City, anonymously juried 775 entries and selected the 45 artworks on exhibit.
| Full color exhibit catalog available, documenting the QX.net Nude International 2008 |
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QX.net Nude International 2008
softcover
28 pages, 45 full color illustrations, 5.5" x 8.5"
$11.00 (includes shipping & handling)
purchase online
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Photography: What Now?
October 27 - December 9, 2007
Juror: Anita Douthat
With this third photography exhibition, the LAL continues to examine the currents found in the photography world today—the techniques currently being used by photographers and the trends in content.
More than ever, photography is one of the most accessible visual mediums. New technologies continue to be introduced and defined, pushing the evolution of photographic expression. Many photographers are working in the digital realm, while others remain loyal to traditional, time-honored processes. As evidenced in this exhibition, numerous processes are being used that allow the photographer to capture a moment, a thought or an idea and render it an image others can experience. Photography: What Now?shows the range of photographic techniques currently utilized by photographers throughout the country, and the diverse variety of subject matter they explore.
For Photography: What Now?, Anita Douthat, an award-winning photographer who resides in Northern Kentucky, anonymously juried 391 entries and selected the 74 artworks on exhibit.
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