beyond the wall at the janice charach gallery
“The Janice Charach Gallery is proud to present “Beyond the Wall,” a new exhibition that challenges traditional notions of sculpture by showcasing contemporary artists who manipulate space and dimension. “This exhibit will be the first of its kind for us. We selected artists who are creating unique wall-hanging sculptural works, each with different mediums and methods,” says Gallery Director, Natalie Balazovich. “There are artists like Mike Ross and Amadeus Roy who are primarily painters, but push their work into the third dimension in unique ways. And then there’s Amelia Currier, who uses found objects and natural materials to create instinctive assemblages. Seeing the different approaches in one space opens up conversations about the possibilities of sculpture and its contemporary application.”
Based on the Zen Buddhist calligraphic practice called ensō—a hand-drawn circle made in one or two brushstrokes representing principles of enlightenment and freedom—Gravity reads like paper undulating in rotating waves. The only color afforded is in thick pegs securing the sheets of compliant wood. Uneven breaks magnetically pull toward each other, begging to be reunited. Cast shadows expand its visually weightless diameter.
Roy tackles human overconsumption and existential conflict via abstracted constructs. These organic forms, smoothed in finished carpentry perfection, bend and flow into and around one another. His roots in painting are evidenced in color saturation choices and variations in sheen while allowing some wood grain to remain visible creating subtle textures. Thin lines of cerulean blues momentarily open exposing the wall which integrates becoming part of the piece.
Mirek describes his objects as having origins in human, geologic, mythic, or universal themes. All art is a form of dialog an artist has with themself. Abstraction leaves the viewer to interpret the mental puzzle as it relates to them. In this artist’s case titles lend no assistance to that quest. This tribal feeling sculpture uses its minimal color in a mindful and effective manner lining narrow edges in bright chartreuse laid against hidden internal magenta. Earthier greens follow at the base intertwined with strings, beads and painted dots. The textural embellishments read like coral synapses spilling out from a parqueted half sphere.
This work strikes in its austerity, seeming to be a beginning rather than a conclusion, particularly since it’s sitting on the floor rather than a loftier wall placement. It’s apparent simplicity folds at the right place at the right time indicating deliberate intent. Wood grain is its painting.
Stone totems have gotten to be such a phenomenon, some national parks have banned their construction. I was introduced to the practice a couple decades ago when Burning Man was still an underground event. I was taught these are prayer totems offered to the gods before entering sacred spaces. Each stone is individually placed with its own request for protection, enlightenment, etc. The final piece is placed while humbly asking for permission to enter. Currier invokes the natural world as a place we can tap into our consciousness revealing our truest selves. Her assemblages are found objects, cedar charred in the Japanese shousugiban method. The surprise bit of metal’s shape and sheen makes this composition more than stone Jenga.
Mirek posted this Tennessee Williams’ quote on his Insta and I thought it highly appropriate:
“The world is violent and mercurial--it will have its way with you. We are saved only by love--love for each other and the love that we pour into the art we feel compelled to share: being a parent; being a writer; being a painter; being a friend. We live in a perpetually burning building, and what we must save from it, all the time, is love.”
Indeed.
On view through December 3rd at Janice Charach Gallery 6600 W Maple, West Bloomfield
*images are mine
direct quote from gallery materials
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I can’t wait to see this exhibit.