Harwood

June  3-23, 2011

"Splash: New Paintings," by Xuan Chen

The paintings examine very fundamental units of visual art: color, line, shape, movement and rhythm. Lines manifest within a rhythm of a pattern. Strong contrast of color and twisting of lines represent the metaphor of strong emotional interaction: entanglement, bewilderment, conflict and confusion. The abstract essence of lines exists everywhere in reality: the intertwining of threads, the twist of a tussle, neurons in the brain, and the tissues in human organs. The paintings communicate though the strong visual language, convey the process of a mental turmoil, and explore an artistic spontaneity and unconscious expression combined with scientific precision.





 

"On Guard," New work by Cristina de los Santos, Jessica Kennedy and Zona

Cristina works from a particular set of rules that are open to accidents or chance occurrences. Colors, forms, and marks are pushed into a chaotic state in ways that human interactions can be pushed to the brink of disaster. This interaction can be described as competition, human or alien contact, containment, or circulation. A love of process, action and paint itself are the driving forces behind Jessica’s work and the natural world is her major source of inspiration. She thinks about animals, human beings and plant life and attempts to create a world in which a single object, her painting, can define all three simultaneously. Zona brings a new twist, both figuratively and literally, to the recycled art world. Hundreds of sweaters, shirts, skirts and coats are repurposed as strips and then tied, knotted, woven, and braided together to create a collection of varied objects that recall organic forms. Viewing of the work of these three artists in the same space will allow for the experience of multiple approaches to handling the balance between control and chaos