Bonsack Gallery: Friday, 6 January 2011
To Be Is To Be Perceived: Works by Michelle Hamilton & Ruth Reese
Artists' Reception Friday, January 6 5:30 to 7:30 pm
January 6 - February 7 Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 6:30 pm
We both began with a simple curiosity of the medium, which has evolved into very different bodies of work, each commenting on the philosophy and ethics of beauty in very unique ways. As we juxtapose our work under the title “To Be Is To Be Perceived," ontological questions naturally arise. For instance, “How does philosophical contemplation change in the presence of an art object and in an art gallery?” Conceptualism has traditionally seen the de-materialization of the art object, but here and now, we would like to engage in a collaborative approach with philosophy. Please do join us in our thought experiment, where we will be reclaiming conceptualism in our quest to know how art objects carry meaning and help us to understand existence.
When viewing Hamilton’s thrown pieces, one might think of Plato’s Forms. Her pieces are not a casual demonstration of roundness. Instead, platters claim a circular perfection truly transcendent of the act of throwing on the wheel; her urns are an expression of pure form. For her, the sphere and the cone expand and contract in simple geometric elegance. On the other hand, Reese’s sculptural works turn away from ideal and model forms. Reese poignantly observes the softness of flesh and the richness of texture in her figurative work. One might note that her approach draws more from Aristotle than Plato. Her corporeal forms with tangible expression, suggest that she searches for the universal within the particular.
Through our diverse interpretations of the medium, we explore the concept of vessel - literally and figuratively, functionally and sculpturally. And, it is in contrast to each other that we are able to embody some of the basic questions at the foundation of art making and philosophy, yet, both in fast pursuit of the question “How do we perceive beauty?”
Artists' Reception Friday, January 6 5:30 to 7:30 pm
January 6 - February 7 Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 6:30 pm
We both began with a simple curiosity of the medium, which has evolved into very different bodies of work, each commenting on the philosophy and ethics of beauty in very unique ways. As we juxtapose our work under the title “To Be Is To Be Perceived," ontological questions naturally arise. For instance, “How does philosophical contemplation change in the presence of an art object and in an art gallery?” Conceptualism has traditionally seen the de-materialization of the art object, but here and now, we would like to engage in a collaborative approach with philosophy. Please do join us in our thought experiment, where we will be reclaiming conceptualism in our quest to know how art objects carry meaning and help us to understand existence.
When viewing Hamilton’s thrown pieces, one might think of Plato’s Forms. Her pieces are not a casual demonstration of roundness. Instead, platters claim a circular perfection truly transcendent of the act of throwing on the wheel; her urns are an expression of pure form. For her, the sphere and the cone expand and contract in simple geometric elegance. On the other hand, Reese’s sculptural works turn away from ideal and model forms. Reese poignantly observes the softness of flesh and the richness of texture in her figurative work. One might note that her approach draws more from Aristotle than Plato. Her corporeal forms with tangible expression, suggest that she searches for the universal within the particular.
Through our diverse interpretations of the medium, we explore the concept of vessel - literally and figuratively, functionally and sculpturally. And, it is in contrast to each other that we are able to embody some of the basic questions at the foundation of art making and philosophy, yet, both in fast pursuit of the question “How do we perceive beauty?”
posted by Bill Barrett at 11:50 AM
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