(Left) Junko Yamamoto, "Between Consciousness," 2018, Soft Sculptures with Wooden Panels, Fishing Wires, Bolts (Far Right) Lydia Goldbeck, "Untitled," 2018, Lithograph, Oil Stick, Graphite Powder, Pencil, Acrylic, Oil, Charcoal, Colored Pencil, Oil Pastel on Panel. Photo courtesy of Alex Connelly.
Please join us on Saturday, July 21st from 4-9 pm at Plank Gallery for the closing reception of Behaving Differently; a bicoastal group show redefining what categorizes contemporary painting.
Behaving Differently compares gestures across media; marking the weight of a lineage of sentimental black matriarchs or the weight of emotional and conceptual processes beyond the technical. Each gesture interprets its surroundings, either by questioning the human connection to nature, intimate living spaces vs. public spaces or marked incidents that would otherwise risk being forgotten.
“Gestures exist in multiple formats - as art-objects, collectibles, toys, action figures, paint, images, portraits, replicas, and idiosyncratic forms. Yet, with every iteration that exists, they remain reflections of those original gestures. As Jean Baudrillard writes in, “System of Objects,” regardless of the contents of a collection, “what you really collect is yourself.” - Carmen Neely, Greensboro, NC
Behaving Differently also compares themes on the human condition through material as metaphor. Representation of the body is reflected in the folds of fabric or the wrinkles of painted skin. Sourced and found material are layered with the weight of an object’s purpose and meaning.
“It’s hard being a body. Heads are heavy and gravity is forever...exhausted by the weight of it all, I severed everything from the head down to rebuild.” - Lydia Goldbeck, New York, NY
Install shot courtesy of Alex Connelly
Within this exhibition, the range of media representing painting simultaneously reflects the range of perspectives in regard to each artists’ age, race, gender and region of the US in which they live and work. Throughout Behaving Differently, there is a strong breadth of materiality explored within the visceral and tactile qualities of: ceramic, layered silk, repurposed and printed fabric, enamel, wood, marble, oil, acrylic, resin, plexiglass, wax, plaster, vinyl, and silkscreen. In many cases these materials are compared and contrasted to found and collected everyday objects such as balloons, carpet, rope, hair ties, tulle, metal and rubber.
“I often choose to operate within the confines of found sources and material as a metaphor for our inability to separate ourselves of the forms created for us, as opposed to by us, in such areas as biology (self-preservation), culture (inherited values) and personhood (self-identity)” - Andrew Wakefield, Seattle, WA
For the closing reception, come meet the participating artists and talk with them about their work. Alongside nine local artists, there will also be an opportunity to meet and speak with both Stephanie Sherwood (LA) and Lydia Goldbeck (NYC), who are traveling from out of state to be in attendance. We hope to see you there!