Speaking Volumes… and Voids
Curator: Anne Stanner
Dates: August 8 - September 20, 2015
Saturdays & Sundays, 11-5, and by appointment.
Location: House 20B, Nolan Park, Governors Island, NYC
Volume and void is the language and substance of sculpture. Sculpture is a three dimensional form defined by its mass, or volume, and by the space, or void, surrounding and going through it. Without space, there can be no form, as everything would be mass, an incredibly dense universe before the big bang.
The human body, or any body, consists of its mass and the contents within. The Zen idea of the body is as an empty vessel which is then filled with spirit. Upon death, the body and spirit return to the great void. On an atomic level, the seeming "too, too, solid body" has a vast percentage of space and its mass is a high percentage of water.
"Speaking volumes" is an expression that is interpreted to mean saying a lot with few words or images. "A picture is worth a thousand words" is another way to state this experience. A single image or sculpture can present a whole constellation of ideas, thougnts, and emotions.
The 14 artists in this exhibit have works that are wide ranging in material and subject matter, but all are either 3D or give the illusion of 3D, and they all have a lot to say.
Some are purely abstract, some are geometric and other works are semi-abstract. Many of the artists choose the human or animal form to express powerful emotions and ideas, and many show concern for the human condition in both its nurturing and its aging process and for the human impact on the planet and society, whether it is the Middle East conflict, global warming, or the extinction of species. These ideas are all expressed through form - whether the full male or female body, the female torso, the human head or mask and its accoutrements, or parts of the skeleton.
The exciting and beautiful works appearing in the show were created by these highly accomplished and professional artists: Pamela Casper, Yvette Cohen, Cora jane Glasser, Susan Grabel, Tamar Hirschl, Lori Horowitz, Barbara Lubliner, Pamela Matsuda-Dunn, Yasumitsu Morito, Francine Periman, Anna Kuchel Rabinowitz, Anne Stanner, Chuck von Schmidt, and Lea Weinberg.
Free and open to the public.
