“That’s How the Light Gets In” Exhibition
440 Gallery
This event has ended.
Leonard Cohen sang, “There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in”. The past year has exposed unimaginable cracks and yet these artists have chosen to focus on the “light”. Their materials and methods are all very different from one another but these works are united by the artists’ passion. They each have focused on sharing their passion with the world and we, as viewers, get to experience the healing effects of that joy and authenticity.
Susan Greenstein presents prints made from original ink and brush drawings. She calls them “daily drawings” because she has created one drawing each day for an entire year. Greenstein has used drawing as away of connecting with others during this isolating time. These pieces form a series called “Other People’s Objects” where friends would send Susan a photo of a special object from their homes. Greenstein says, “For me, it served as a way to ‘visit’ with friends and family during the pandemic. Since I couldn’t visit with them in their homes, I was able to visit with an object of theirs and I got a chance to learn a new bit about each person.” The circle was complete when she sent a print of the drawings to each of the many people who contributed to the series.
“When I feel cynical about what’s going on in the world, I often fall back on a particularly dependable source of joy: the dense, ever-changing layers of urban landscape.” David Stock explores cities because of the wide assortment of striking visual elements they offer. Stock is intrigued with the impressive potential human labor reflected in an urban environment. Stock’s method uses observation and intelligence, fusing light and design to capture a moment in history. These are raw materials for a long-standing, deeply satisfying process which culminates in a black and white print, of which Stock is a master.
Caitlin Miller’s work is made with resin and transparent photographs. She creates light pieces which are both personal and political, a reflection of this tumultuous year. Using light, photography, the body, and transparency as mutable materials, she searches to find the beginning and end of memory, history and experiences. Miller says, “I have created a series of light sculptures that both flatten and extend the concept of time, and reflect back to you. Each light piece is an evolution to the personal, a metaphor for the passing of time, and about the transitions in-between –a doorway to the forest, a video still of the news, these are mixed with text and with personal images of my own experience.”
Like everyone, Joy Makon has been strongly affected by the present anxieties in our country. She takes a a unique and effective approach to “knockout” pandemic frustration— she focuses her skill and passion through the inspired use of brilliant light and abundant details. “This damn pandemic. It has affected where I can go, how I might get there, and has played games with my daily schedule and routine. I can’t visit the usual places right now to find subjects to paint. It’s not the same looking at photographs from previous years, but I am glad that I have them.” Makon is always emotionally attached to her subject matter, whether a landscape or a person. This emotional investment makes her response to the pandemic all the more poignant. For example, Makon has invested her time and heart to make a superb painting from a wonderful photo portrait of Barack Obama and John Lewis — as a way to make her own brand of “good trouble.”
Media
Schedule
from October 14, 2020 to November 15, 2020
Opening Reception on 2020-10-18 from 16:30 to 19:00