Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Tomorrow's Artist Today...

Earlier this evening I had the privillege and pleasure of attending the opening for a show at the Visual Arts Gallery called Tomorrow's Artist Today.

Many of my former peers were in this show and it was wonderful to see them again. Most of them I haven't seen in over a year. It was really great to see what they've been working on and how it has changed and evolved.

Here is the link to the exhibition overview: Click here.


This is Kathy in front of her video installation in the back room. I think she is particularly brave for "rolling" and "rubbing" on the SVA studio floors. Her work has matured a lot over the years, and I think that particularly the usage of video and performance as a medium has been one of the main catalysts for this development.


Sarah DeWire's work has changed a lot since we were in class together. When we were in class together, she used a lot of drips and color relations to create very surface oriented abstractions. But formalist concerns aren't everyone's cup of tea and I don't think she was ever really satisfied with the direction her work was going. In fact, she told me later that she had a mini-break down with the art she was making and needed to reinvent herself. The new body incorporates very diaristic elements and nostaglic narrative-driven figuration. It should be interesting where she takes this.


I've had a lot of respect for Sadie's work over the years. In many ways, I think I was very hands-off when it came to talking with her about her work and her process. It wasn't because I didn't like her or her work, on the contrary. It was because I was interested to see what avenues she would take herself in dealing with many of the same problems that I was facing. Both of us have a very similiar aesthetic. We both use arabesques and words and deal with very formalist concerns. We also both share particular interests in Eastern art. Our work, I think, deals with an inherent spirituality and although it's not always overtly displayed, it is ever-present. She is just now starting to use silk-screen as a major mode of creation and I am very interested to see how this will effect the work.

This little trip to the opening was a much needed break and a welcomed opportunity to catch up with lots of folks I haven't seen for a while.

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