Last Friday SIGNAL held an opening reception for their group show, This Is the Prism the Spider Dreams of as It Weaves Its Web, featuring works by Eric Mack, Ryan Chin, Kristina Lee, Katie Loselle, Andrew Ross, Jennifer Packer, and Marley Freeman, and curated by the artist Benjamin Horns. A unique dynamic was happening that night; this circle of painters are all tied to Benjamin, making his show in a sense autobiographical, as he charted the development of his own artistic practice through these artists.
Prior to the show, Benjamin asked each of the artists to contribute a found object from their collection or working space to make up the table setting of Contingent Surface.
Kristina Lee’s oil paintings greet us by the gallery’s deep-set entryway off Johnson Avenue, warming us with a summertime feel in Watermelon and almost Amazonian impression with Everything. Softer colors in Ryan Chin’s Triptych cool the setting as we settle deeper into SIGNAL. While just steps away is a rather chilly November night, we are drawn to the warmth of Katie Loselle’s Untitled as we move further into SIGNAL’s vast space. The dark colors of the canvas splash across the piece in different directions, pulling us in and then back out. We are reminded of the mystery of the night when we see Andrew Ross’ Catface Study, a mixed media piece with fabric and an observant eye.
Nearby, Eric Mack’s mixed media piece, Bob Marley Was Shot Twice for His Religious Views, made up of an assortment of materials including industrial felt, a Givenchy silk handkerchief, and Bob Marley T-shirt, suspends freely and rotates in response to the environment.
Across the room, Eric’s collage piece, Hard to Find, Like Pretty White Dreads, interacts with the room. “Oh, it’s a moving blanket!” one woman observes as she looks closer at the materials. Eric has a knack for extending his pieces into the living space, causing a correspondence between objects we know and the fragmented pieces of his art that coalesce into one. The materials give off a warm affection, perfect for winter and for bundling up, albeit inside of a moving blanket.
In considerable contrast to Eric’s large scale works is Marley Freeman’s Afterthought in Progress, though equally as warming and interactive, as the viewer is tempted by the rhythm and pull of the wing-like brushstrokes. Warmer still are the citrus-like colors that appear in Jennifer Packer’s untitled oil panting, leaving us reinvigorated on what is now a rather balmy winter night.
This Is the Prism the Spider Dreams of as It Weaves Its Web will be on view at Signal through December 15, Saturdays and Sundays 1-6PM.
