Bear witness to the results of brave compulsions and intuitive forces in X-istential: an exhibition about chance as archaeology. The mélange of colors, the puncture of foam and foil, and the reuse of detritus from the outdoors—this is what stood out to me last week inside Loft 594 on X-istential’s opening night.
A simple span across the room returned brushstrokes all ablaze, paper edges both torn and ragged (and for shocking reasons, I learned) and a surprise of elements that had seemingly lost control. It was almost too overwhelming to take in — but in the right sort of way. How can overwhelming be good though? I had to ask myself. I decided to find out how these artists ‘chanced’ their way through each surprising piece.
Though chance is not a new technique in the art world, I could tell a new expressive tendency was on the horizon among this group, especially with Nathalie Collins’ industrial foam works in which she jabbed, dug and scratched unique patterns, making a deliberate play between compulsion and intuition. In a brave move, Collins relinquished part of her control over the subject matter, partially unsure of what she was looking for yet maintaining the original parameters that she originally set out with.
