in an effort to be held at the shepherd
Curated by Allison Glenn
“In an effort to be held considers the aesthetics of surface, and the processes of engaging the surface through transfer, collage, wrapping, and in some more literal cases, artists who consider how materials hold histories, mirror and imply surface, skin, and bodies, with consideration for the terrestrial, hidden, mythological, and celestial.”
Angel Otero’s large-scale abstractions involve painting onto glass then scraping the surface into strips of dried oils which are reassembled into layered, heavily textured compositions. Hundreds of staples securing materials actively participate along with caning reveals and intentional apertures creating depth.
Lighting is subdued in the Shepherd’s preserved sanctuary requiring strong work like Honey n’ Smoke’s bold colorations to pierce the hushed atmosphere. Spider-like organic shapes undulating across the contrasting hard-lined background command attention engrossing the viewer.
Richard Tuttle presents a visual pause in a very conversive exhibition. Ripples in the pages with their visible seam are critical elements in this minimal arrangement. (Apologies for the frame’s shadow. Unavoidable)
Kevin Beasley has been working with textiles for a while but has specifically addressed cotton and its associations in recent works. In Site XXXIII, fibers from housedresses, T-shirts and raw cotton from Beasley’s Virginia home read like painted brushstrokes. Encased in thick resin, reds move through blues as if submerged in water with tiny filaments floating on the surface.
This expansive exhibition fills the cavernous gallery while allowing comfortable intervals between works. It’s great to see Beasley back in Detroit. After graduating from College for Creative Studies he was exhibiting at the now defunct Butcher’s Daughter Gallery on Cass when he left for New York and blew up. No matter what stratosphere he lands in, he’ll always be ours. Congratulations on extraordinary success!
On view through October 12th at The Shepherd 1265 Parkview Detroit. See website for full list of participating artists.
*images are mine
direct quote from gallery materials
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