Andrew Kennedy at Sara Meltzer's On View..., NYC

Andrew Kennedy
Sara Meltzer's On View..., New York
October 28 - December 4, 1999

Andrew Kennedy have his second solo show with Sara Meltzer's On View… Andrew Kennedy explores the relationship between formalism, minimalism and abstract expressionism as he continues to investigate the conventions of painting. His latest series literally reveals the construction of each work of art.

Created from a variety of materials, including: plywood, plaster, lead, printers' ink and bondo among others, Andrew Kennedy builds the pieces as a carpenter would. The rich monochromatic surfaces are built up layer-by-layer resulting in painted constructions of considerable depth. Untitled (no. 52) consists of 99 individually painted squares, each layered with varying hues of deep lustrous blues, which were then overpainted with white to create a blocked out geometric calendar-like surface.

Andrew Kennedy's sole plywood installation exists as a floor painting revealing the artist's continued interest in creating a dichotomy between the inherently rudimentary aspects of construction and carpentry coupled with the subtle nuances and expressive nature of sculpture. Kennedy's dedication to the materials he employs enables him to create sculptural and painterly works imbued with an ephemeral nature.

Andrew Kennedy was one of four artists included in Abstraction in Process II curated by Irving Sandler and Claudia Gould at Artists Space in 1998. He was also awarded an artist in residence at the Skowhegan School. He is a graduate of Cooper Union.

SARA MELTZER'S ON VIEW...
588 Broadway, Room 612, New York, NY 10012
www.sarameltzer.com

Oona Stern, Jeremy Sigler, Cindy Poorbaugh at Sara Meltzer's On view..., New York

INSTALLED: Oona Stern, Jeremy Sigler, Cindy Poorbaugh
Sara Meltzer's On view..., New York
July 7 - July 31, 1998

Sara Meltzer's On View... presents three sculptural installations by three emerging artists. The group show, INSTALLED brings together the work of artists Oona Stern, Cindy Poorbaugh and Jeremy Sigler. Gracefully straddling the line between sculpture, architecture and drawing, all three artists have INSTALLED works that coexist in a compatible yet imposing way.

Oona Stern's stone column subtly parallels the gallery's only actual structural support. As the lone column in the space ambiguously imposes its presence, so to does Stern's stone construction. The handmade stones hang from the ceiling seemingly as an illusion and as a physical reality. Indebted to the beauty of paradox, Stern's piece is simultaneously heavy yet weightless, flat whilst dense, floating but hanging. Oona Stern received her MFA ('96) from the School of Visual Art, New York, NY. Her work is currently on view at White Columns in the "Wall Work" exhibition curated by Lauren Ross and Elizabeth Ferguson.

Jeremy Sigler's clay wall pieces are poetic in both a literal and figurative manner. As the doughy animators' clay encases the column of the gallery, the viewer senses the intense emotional grip of the artist, as well as that of the poem and the sculpture itself. Rather than opposing the architecture of the space, Sigler's piece boldly embraces it. Never just words on a wall, a calm yet confident play arises between literal language and the language of form. Jeremy Sigler received his MFA ('96) in Sculpture from UCLA, Los Angeles, California. He recently exhibited at Tricia Collins Grand Salon, NY.

Cindy Poorbaugh's Blotch exists as an oversized digitally generated drawing. Directly applied to the wall as if it were literally wallpaper, the piece envelopes the physicality of the gallery wall. The image depicted, although two-dimensional, draws the viewer in creating the illusion of depth. Having begun as a small doodle in the artist's notebook, Blotch was then enlarged and therefore transformed. Specifically created to suit the space, Blotch deliberately retains the sense of chance found in the original doodle. Cindy Poorbaugh received her MFA ('95) from Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY. Her work is also currently on view at White Columns in the "Wall Work" exhibition curated by Lauren Ross and Elizabeth Ferguson.

SARA MELTZER ON VIEW...
588 Broadway, Room 612, New York, NY 10012
www.sarameltzer.com

Karen Kimmel, Sara Meltzer's On View..., NYC - step up *37

Karen Kimmel: step up *37
Sara Meltzer's On View..., New York
March 7 - April 4, 1998

Karen Kimmel presents her latest sculptural installation, step up *37, at Sara Meltzer's on view... This new work will be activated by a performance at the gallery on Saturday, March 7th, 6-8pm. An additional performance will take place on Thursday, March 26th, 6-8pm.

step up *37 derives out of Karen Kimmel's continuing fascination with social events. Motivated by observations of her earlier works: SAVOR, GUIDE, PRESS, QUENCH and COZY, the artist will again explore her concern with social structures. Karen Kimmel's controlled environments have depended on the incorporation of the audience into a realm of her own creation.

Departing from the prior necessity of audience involvement and direct role-play, step up *37 explores the ongoing exchange of the non-material and the influence of the most subtle changes in condition. This time, Karen Kimmel has chosen to involve her audience in a different way. In previous works, audience members were strictly attended to by a performer. In step up *37, Karen Kimmel has deliberately placed the audience in the role of viewer left free to explore the world of her forms.

step up *37 uses light as its departure point. Floating sculptural elements will be activated by light. As light hits the dangling sculptural objects, shadows will be cast upon the gallery walls. These shadows will constantly change as a result of the 3 participating performers' actions. Simultaneously, the performers will draw the shadows and in turn respond to the changing shadows created by one another.

Continuing to elaborate on the mechanics of action and reaction, Karen Kimmel has chosen to explore a new realm. While still imposing a systematic structure on her performers, in step up *37 she allows for responses related to chance.

SARA MELTZER'S ON VIEW...
588 Broadway, Room 612, New York, NY 10012
www.sarameltzer.com