 A.P.E. Ltd. Gallery
126 Main Street Northampton, MA 01060 Phone: 413.586.5553 Fax: 413.387.6027 Gallery Hours: Tuesday – Sunday: 12-5 Friday: 12-8 Closed Monday |
Current
Image by Jieun Shin
February Exhibition: Eccentric Abstraction Revisited by Donnabelle Casis, Brantner DeAtley, and Jieun Shin February 5- February 28, 2015 Artist Reception: Friday, February 13, 2015, 5:00-8:00pm Three artists explore the facets of abstraction in a group exhibition of dynamic and diverse works. Donnabelle Casis' current series explores identity and its relationship to markers, patterns and meaning: from ancient Filipino tribal tattoos and textiles, trajes de luces (suits of light) or bullfighting costumes, medieval chainmail and armor, Japanese kumihimo (braiding), and Pokemon figures. Her painting practice questions how these symbols and colors reflect the bearer/wearer. Casis's inquiry also delves into the literal use of patterns in design and in the form of ritual to seek when patterns change. Brantner DeAtley, believes melting into the screen is our reality. From silent films to smartphones humans have chosen to see the world through a square. Maybe cropping our world makes us feel safe? Making paintings is a similar experience. Change the channel and paint over all that has come before! From Popeye to Tumblr his body of work draws from the influence of that square space. Jieun Shin's work is a surrogate portrait of a migrant, both estranged by and familiar with the hybrid cultural predicament symbolized by IKEA and my own distant “ethnic” culture. Shin borrows the human head images from IKEA and the floral motifs from the embroidery work by anonymous women in the eighteenth century Joseon Dynasty. Even though the ‘authenticity’ of the floral motifs as Korean seems to be diluted, her work infuses glimmer of life into the fragmented heads confined in the rigidly constructed spaces. Image by Donnabelle Casis 
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