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~ Page 1 of 2 ~ CLIFFORD • SMITH GALLERY is pleased to announce the opening of their 5th season with ACCUMULATION — a group exhibition focusing on the cumulative effects of the repetitive act in artmaking. In keeping with the mission of the Clifford•Smith Gallery, this exhibition showcases the work of artists who are were born, educated or are now working locally alongside that of artists from around the globe, and balances the work of emerging artists fresh out of the starting gate with that of artists who have been included in such prestigious exhibitions as the Whitney and Sao Paolo Biennials. There will be a reception for the artists on Friday, September 13th from 5:30 - 7:30 pm. |
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Gerhard Mayer Untitled (191), 2001 ink on paper 13.5" x 17"(detail)
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While
the imagery, materials and method of the nine artists in the exhibition
vary widely, each artist shares a common obsession with repetition
and patterning and the cumulative effect of the repetitive mark.
A more subtle (and not always visually apparent) commonality exists
in the recurring use of mundane objects (string, nails, pencil
nubs, ballpoint pen, a typewriter, or a slab of drywall) in the
quest for an ordered perfection. In most cases, the quotidian
object remains obscured as the process is subjugated to the sublime
imagery that results.
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Christopher Broughton Build / Bury / Red / Blue (6), 2002 acrylic and flashe on canvas 48" x 56"
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| Several of the artists work out complex, near mathematical operations in the application of the individual line or mark. Christopher Broughton uses a straight line created by a string dipped in paint. Gerhard Mayer follows a self-imposed set of rules that dictate the number of elliptical lines made each time he touches the paper with a draftsman’s stencil. Taney Roniger punches nail holes using a template she creates, rotates and reuses in an ordered succession of moves. Yet the key to the success of these artists’ work is in the lyricism of the imagery that belies the rigorous method. Broughton’s straight lines create swirling curved architectural references; Mayer’s curves often form explosive fragmented images of great depth; and Roniger’s holes form subtle grids and gently pulsing patterns across a silver plane of stainless steel paint. | |
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Taney Roniger Matrix #1, 2002 Oil, nail hoes and iridescent stainless steel paint on panel 30" x 46" |
| Others in the exhibition have a more organic approach to repetition and pattern by allowing chance and the freedom of the hand to intervene between artist and image. Tara Donovan draws thousands of tiny circles with a ball point pen – the image resulting in a stylized plume of smoke or a sort of strange, yet lovely, flower. | |
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Tara Donovan Untitled, 2002 ballpoint pen on paper 71.5" x 59"
(click on image for detail)
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