After a superb displaying on the Armory Present earlier this month, pt.2 is proud to current a bunch exhibition that includes the work of six monumental artists: Jay DeFeo, Martha Shaw, Mildred Howard, Robert Therrien, Squeak Carnwath, and Viola Frey. With deep connections to the Bay Space, these artists have laid the groundwork for generations of artists to come back, forming the very foundations of up to date artwork within the area. The works within the exhibition delve into the themes of help and underlying constructions—each literal and metaphorical—that form our understanding of artwork and the on a regular basis. These artists, every with their distinct strategy and medium, come collectively to discover the unusual and the extraordinary.
The strain between familiarity and thriller invitations curiosity in regards to the artists’ decisions and their relationship with these objects, prompting us to marvel what private, cultural, or emotional significance these objects maintain for them. What we take with no consideration as “unusual” turns into a vessel for deeper that means, inviting a mirrored image on how objects anchor us in actuality whereas additionally permitting us to dream or discover new interpretations. It reinforces the concept that foundations are usually not all the time secure or mounted, however are continuously evolving as we work together with the objects and reminiscences that type them. This abstraction mirrors the fluidity of id itself—the concept that what we present to the world could also be a projection, very like how we interpret objects by way of the lens of our personal identities.
Jay DeFeo’s Tripod collection explores themes of stability and help, utilizing the digicam tripod as each a literal and symbolic framework. By way of her meticulous consideration to floor texture and element, she elevates this easy object right into a meditation on stability and flux, difficult the viewer to rethink on a regular basis parts which can be typically neglected in each artwork and life.
Martha Shaw’s small work and solid concrete items seize on a regular basis objects like flowers, meals, and teapots, rendered in a minimal, earth-toned palette. These works invite viewers to pause and respect the refined magnificence and thriller within the mundane, difficult our first impressions and expectations.
Mildred Howard’s iconic glass bottle homes and wall sculptures fabricated from crimson punctuation marks are as a lot in regards to the materials as they’re about reminiscence and historical past. These works evoke private histories and the hidden narratives embedded in on a regular basis objects. Howard’s work speaks to the enduring legacies of cultural and familial foundations, notably throughout the African American group. The glass bottle home on this exhibition is likely one of the final on this sculptural collection, serving as a major fruits of a theme that has turn out to be central to her observe.
Robert Therrien’s exploration and abstraction of on a regular basis objects like beards and hinges challenges our perceptions of the acquainted, providing a commentary on id and the constructions that underpin our every day lives. In his beard collection, he questions how isolating the picture of a beard alters its that means, whereas his hinge collection captures the essence of utilitarian objects, frozen in time, but suggesting movement. By making these objects each acquainted and unfamiliar, Therrien invitations us to attach not solely along with his reminiscences but additionally with our personal, sparking curiosity in regards to the significance behind these varieties and the way they resonate with the viewer.
Squeak Carnwath’s massive text-based work deliver a diaristic and conversational high quality to the exhibition. Her works, full of repetitive phrases and phrases, discover the connections between language, emotion, and reminiscence, and encourage us to contemplate the bigger significance behind on a regular basis objects and occurrences. Carnwath’s work are a testomony to the ability of phrases and symbols to assemble and deconstruct our understanding of the world.
Viola Frey’s ceramic plates, sculptures, and an oil on canvas portray chosen for this exhibition symbolize the foundational parts that knowledgeable her later works – each intimate and monumental. These items encapsulate her distinctive visible language, constructed from mass-produced objects discovered on the Alameda Flea Market. Frey solid their shadows to create tableaus and silhouettes, repeating motifs that solidified her iconography. Frey’s work challenges us to see past the floor and to acknowledge the profound affect that on a regular basis objects and experiences can have on our understanding of artwork and life.
Collectively, these artists remind us that issues aren’t all the time what they appear. Their works have a good time the on a regular basis, revealing the complexities and depth beneath the floor of the unusual. This grouping invitations viewers to rethink the foundational parts of artwork and life, encouraging a deeper appreciation for the hidden constructions that form and help our experiences. In doing so, they not solely replicate their private histories but additionally proceed to affect generations of artists inside and past the Bay Space.
All photos courtesy and used with permission from pt.2 Gallery