"Undulations." Solo Exhibition. Space 105. Moravian College (now Moravian University).
"Undulations." 2013. oil on canvas, oil on lightweight drawing paper (tracing paper), thread, tissue paper, wrapping paper, and foam/plastic. dimensions variable.
"Undulations" exhibition poster and two postcard designs. 2013.
My first solo exhibit! In addition to this site-specific installation, for both openings, edited instrumental portions of specific songs by various bands were played to incite the senses and add to the conflicting atmosphere of awe and tension, delicate fragility and harshness, and serenity and eeriness.
Artist Statement: With its unpredictable, almost unexplainable qualities of beauty and tumultuous destruction, nature becomes a metaphor in my work. It is vast, sublime, and incomprehensible. Reflecting upon moments when staring at the undulating, continuous rhythm of ocean waves or looking out over a grand mountainous horizon, the work provokes a consideration of a person’s place in the world. It addresses unanswerable questions, contemplating the need for change upon the possibly incurable social issues of poverty, growing landfills, and gender disparities.
In the triptych landscape, a dichotomy forms between realistic details and abstractions. This work contrasts the expected order and stability of a typical landscape by including shards of biomorphic enigmas invading the scene. Their intrusion represents a need for a similar sudden, penetrating change within society. This fractured space is continued through the wave. This touches upon both feminist waves, with relentless gendered expectations that pulse throughout society, and also considers growing landfills, with the incorporation of tissue paper about to be put in the trash.
The painted shells on tracing paper are wispy and fragile, suspended in time. Ruminations on these minute details often overlooked in nature mirror transient events in life. Painted on tracing paper, they develop ripples, fade with time, and are subject to tears. Their temporary, delicate display, which can break with tension on either end of the thread, mimics the fragility of life, which can alter drastically with loss or other unexpected changes. The installation creates both an ominous and promising atmosphere through its rhythmic undulations and varying harsh and curvilinear forms.
