meredith cutler :: arts marketing :: artist

Hopefully, many of my local readers took the opportunity to visit the RISD Graduate Thesis Exhibition, which wrapped up yesterday. As for myself, I had to return to the exhibit hall several times to take it all in. While I cannot go into great detail on each and every artist, or nuance of the exhibition, I hope here to draw attention to what I considered the highlights of the visitor experience.

On my first pass through the cavernous hall, I was pleased to discover the work of Maryam Molki, a MFA Painting candidate of Iranian decent. Although a painter, Molki focused her thesis work on a series of altered mass-produced rugs, hung vertically on the wall to be viewed rather than walked upon.

Admittedly, I had just come from an informal kilim rug "purchasing consult" for a friend, but I was drawn to the excersise of excessive material removal and subtle reconstitution that Molki perpetuated upon these mass-produced, "Made In China" specimens. I should note that photos don't do these pieces justice. Like many works in fiber, the ability to examine the work close up, with tactile focus, is key.

Also from the painting department, and working rather sculpturally, is Cassie Jones. Playfully grotesque, her dimensional paintings grow from the wall in kitchy shades of flesh, "astroturf" green and grey. Referencing building materials, skins, and invented topographical maps (of alien planets)...

I have always gravitated towards gnarly painting. With its hoof-like protrusions, the piece depicted above is as gnarly as the Incredible Hulk's bathmat!

There is so much to talk about when it comes to the latest crop of RISD designers and artists. With the most challenging faculty, and access to the newest technology, it's no wonder that the design world looks to the graduates of this institution for fresh creative solutions.

That said, "flash and dazzle" cannot compare to time-honored traditional skills and the fine craftsmanship essential to creating artisan furniture. Embodying the best of both worlds is one of my favorite up and coming furniture designers, Zeke Leonard.

Zeke's reclaimed oak wall sconces, (which I covered in this archive post), clung cheerfully to a massive white wall, not suffering in the least from the expanse. A certain modest quality in these fellas evokes a sense that they could "live" anywhere, which I love. In contrast, and new to my eye was his massive "Boat Chair", impressively cantilevered over the exhibition space with the help of a reclaimed Red Oak arch and a hand forged steel chain. To give you a sense of the scale, this hanging chair could easily accommodate a couple...

Whether modest in size or massive, Zeke's work retains a confident, yet approachable presence that I always appreciate. You can explore more of Zeke's work at his website.

Happy Friday, everyone. I'm full of granola and ready to leave the car at home today, for another fun-filled day of ambulatory adventure in sunny Providence. I'll make a stop back at the Convention Center for another go-round of the RISD graduate thesis show, which runs only through this weekend.

Above: "Exxon #1 from Route 66" by Greg Kordas - archival inkjet print

Speaking of leaving the car at home, I spent a cool $50 to top off my tank yesterday on my way to the studio. As I pondered why I'm spending more on gas than on art supplies, the work of RISD Photography MFA '08 graduate Grzegorz Kordas came to mind. Greg's large format, archival inkjet prints depict real gas stations, glowing like ethereal oasis in the inky black of infinity. He photographs his subjects at night, with a focus on the power of artificial light, and the consumptive behaviors it has been proven to trigger in us, the unsuspecting citizens of a greedy society.

My picks from the RISD Graduate Thesis Exhibition (on view at the Rhode Island Convention Center until June 1st) will be posted over the next several days, due to the fact that the show is enormous and I must return to give proper attention to each department's top talent.

This morning's post is focused on the Textile department's 2008 MFA candidates. Weaver Michael Radyk explores the revelatory and veiling properties of the woven textile form through experimentation with a variety of modern fibers. His large wall hanging, "Swan Point", best exemplifies this direction.

Unlike the flanking pieces, underwhelming efforts with the plastic cord commonly known as "gimp" (ubiquitous to summer camp craft projects), that brought to mind the now widely popular Chilewich placemats, "Swan Point" expertly utilizes materials to express information on several levels, both physically and conceptually. Finely woven from recycled polyester, coat vinyl and nylon, the underlying structure resembles an ancient scroll, coded in modern braille. As if to signify an organic transition from written record to ancient relic, hairy fiber tufts sprout from the grid in a cascading pallete of papyrus neutrals and stony grey.

On the representational and functional side of textiles, Natalie Wright displayed an 8'x11' section of digitally printed wallpaper depicting a complex family portrait originally compiled from 80 individual drawings.

The stylized portraits retain an informal, snapshot quality, while the high-contrast black and white design pushes back at the viewer, negating the staid, environmental comfort of wallpaper. As much as I enjoy this type of work, I wished to see this design realized in different colorways, either more daring or diffuse.

Stay tuned for more mini reviews as I swing through the departmental roster...

The calendar page has turned, which brings an exciting new crop of gallery shows to focus those springtime wanderings. Time it right and you'll hit an opening reception, all the better to fulfil your early evening aperitif needs!

Make sure to visit 5 Traverse Gallery, where tomorrow evening, Rhode Island artist Allison Paschke will be opening a new exhibition of her mixed-media works in porcelain, cast-resin and layered pigments. Named after imaginary cities described in author Italo Calvino's 1972 novel: "Invisible Cities", Paschke's "Portable Pieces" invite handling and exploration; an adventure required to unlock the magical, invented spaces insinuated within their modest materials.

Above: Allison Paschke's "Despina", (7.25" x 5" x rice paper, varnish and pigment

Visitors to 5 Traverse will have a chance to encounter Paschke's newest work, scaled back into the "second and a half" dimension, which incorporates a bolder tier of the spectrum to invoke the quiet, imaginary perspectives inherent in the neutral pallete of her 3-D work.

Above: Allison Paschke's "Tabriz Study 1", (7" x 7"), resin and pigments on Mylar

Click here to read my full review, available in print in the May/June issue of Artscope Magazine. The exhibition will be on view from May 9th through June 14th.

On view in the Inner Space: Father and son Bill & Ben Shattuck, "2 Generations Aloft"
5 Traverse Gallery: 5 Traverse Street, Providence, RI 02906. 401.278.4968 / info@5traverse.com