Thanks for the great recap Chris. Two fantastic artists!

christopherschreck:

i attended a great artist talk at toomer labzda last night, featuring two of my personal favorites, kate steciw (top) and letha wilson (bottom)… they each talked about their new work which, while continuing their shared interest in subverting common expectations of photographic materials and presentation, saw both artists taking things in a more decidedly (if not traditionally) sculptural direction.

kate’s new sculptures achieve something i think only a few other artists have successfully achieved: translating the effect of a digital collage/sculptural image into three dimensions. the new works begin with found images - splashing water, folded fabrics - printed onto semi-transparent gels. those gels are then folded and adhered to the wall with random consumer objects (ikea frames, plexiglass, etc). the results are strange and striking: impeccably designed, with interesting pockets of space and overlapping layers of color and imagery.  the concept behind the works - a reflection of the impulses and desires manufactured by consumer culture, facilitated by the banal images and objects which have been appropriated and reframed in the pieces - was news to me, but i find it less compelling than the ideas the work raises about materiality and form. in any case, these are works you’ll want to see in person, as documentary photos fail to translate the way these things play with space and light.

in letha’s new work, concrete is poured directly onto folded photo prints; the materials interact and combine into a single field of textures and spaces. it’s a great idea, but the effect was generally a little underwhelming for me – there is a decisiveness and clarity in her better-known work that seems lacking here. no worries, though: she seems to be in an experimental stage with these pieces - working with a new process and set of materials, trying out ideas and seeing what happens – and there’s a lot of ground yet to be covered. she indicated as much when, in closing, she mentioned a new work hanging in the back of the gallery. the piece (pictured above) was created with the same materials and basic process, but with a single additional element: while creating the piece, she accidentally placed a print face down against the concrete; upon pulling the photo away, she found that the emulsion had transferred directly onto the concrete. this third level of imagery made a tremendous difference, adding a crucial layer of depth and abstraction absent from the other works on display. that single piece was, for me, particularly exciting and promising.

note: the show comes down on sunday, so if you haven’t already, be sure to set aside some time and see this work in person.

(sorry about the iphone photos)