Fissure

Fissure.
September – December 2012
curated by Amanda Kates

FISSURE

Roberta Gentry
Monica Bill Hughes
Amanda Kates
Jenny Kemp

A fissure is a linear break in an object or idea. Sometimes, it emerges through the physical armature of a form, or as a crack in its armor. A fissure might allow us a glimpse so deep into the microcosmic depths of biology, that we feel we have passed through a wormhole into the macrocosm of our ever-expanding universe. Fissures may be emotional, or psychological – clefts in the authenticity of one’s own senses, or memory. A cognitive fissure may arise out of simple contradiction.

Each artist in this exhibition employs (or exploits) fissure in a unique manner. Monica Bill Hughes is consumed by the incongruity of her fascination with the images of American popular culture. Jenny Kemp peers into the yawning abyss of microscopic organic matter, reconstituting cellular forms and the spaces they inhabit, into worlds of her own imagining. Geological fissures observed and invented by Roberta Gentry activate an awareness of the physical, historical records left behind by growth, dissolution, and movement. Amanda Kates uses anxiously shifting patterns and colors to dissolve visual distinctions between figure, space, and form.

The breaks in continuity allowed by these fissures provide inventive fodder for each artist. Geology and biology, as well as the human form specifically, are broken down, built up, closely observed, and wildly mutated so that their respective curiosities may remain insatiably piqued.
 

Exhibition gallery: click on an image below to view the exhibition.

Roberta Gentry Roswell Ink and Acrylic on Canvas 48 x 84 inches, 2012
Roberta Gentry Pole 1 Ink and Acrylic on Canvas 24 x 36 inches, 2012
Roberta Gentry Pole 2 Ink and Acrylic on Canvas 24 x 36 inches, 2012
Roberta Gentry Bill Ink and Acrylic on Canvas 6 x 9 inches, 2012
Roberta Gentry Greg Ink and Acrylic on Canvas 6 x 9 inches, 2012
Roberta Gentry Katria Ink and Acrylic on Canvas 6 x 9 inches, 2012
Roberta Gentry Monica Ink and Acrylic on Canvas 6 x 9 inches, 2012
Roberta Gentry Roswell 2 Acrylic on Canvas 72 x 48 Inches, 2012
Jenny Kemp Mother Heart Oil on Paper Mounted on Panel 22 x 32 inches, 2011
Jenny Kemp Mosaicism Oil on Paper Mounted on Panel 38 x 15 inches, 2011
Jenny Kemp Holding Pattern Oil on Panel 30 x 20 inches, 2012
Jenny Kemp Concentricity 4 Gouache on Paper 20 x 30 inches, 2012
Jenny Kemp Concentricity 3 Gouache on Paper 18 x 24 inches, 2012
Jenny Kemp Concentricity 1 Gouache on Paper 20 x 30 inches, 2012
Jenny Kemp Bright Beast Oil on Panel 20 x 30 inches, 2012
Jenny Kemp Red Eye Oil on Panel 26 x 36 inches, 2012
Monica Bill Hughes Mmmm…Beefy Ink, Watercolor, and Marker on Canvas 18 x 24 inches, 2012
Monica Bill Hughes F-ing Fried Head (Paula) Ink and Watercolor on Paper 48 x 64 inches, 2012
Monica Bill Hughes Lettuce Head Ink, Watercolor, and Marker on Canvas 18 x 24 inches, 2012
Monica Bill Hughes Celebrity Self Portrait #3 Ink and Marker on Paper 9 x 12 inches, 2012
Monica Bill Hughes Celebrity Self Portrait #4 Ink and Marker on Paper 9 x 12 inches, 2012
Monica Bill Hughes Celebrity Self Portrait #2 Ink and Marker on Paper 9 x 12 inches, 2012
Monica Bill Hughes Celebrity Self Portrait #9 Ink and Marker on Paper 9 x 12 inches, 2012
Monica Bill Hughes Celebrity Self Portrait #6 Ink and Marker on Paper 9 x 12 inches, 2012
Amanda Kates Protagonist/Antagonist Acrylic Paint and Marker on Paper 14.25 x 22 inches, 2012
Amanda Kates His Personality Appeals Oils, Acrylics, and Marker on Canvas 52 x 58 inches, 2012
Amanda Kates Beautox Acrylic Paint and Marker on Paper 14 x 22 inches, 2012
Amanda Kates The Ugliness of Woman Acrylic Paint and Marker on Paper 22 x 30 inches, 2012
Amanda Kates Me-O My-O Oils and Acrylics on Canvas 64 x 74 inches, 2012
Amanda Kates Here Comes the End Acrylic Paint and Marker on Monoprint 10 x 14 inches, 2012
Amanda Kates Please, Try Some! Acrylic Paint and Marker on Paper 30 x 22 inches, 2012
Amanda Kates Duck! Danger! Acrylic Paint, Marker, and Charcoal on Paper 26 x 26.25 inches, 2012

 
About the Curator:
Amanda Kates is a painter, currently working in Washington DC. She received her MFA from the State University of New York at Albany, as well as a BFA from Binghamton University, and a Post Baccalaureate Certificate from the Maryland Institute College of Art. She has been selected for a number of competitions, and awards including the Best of SUNY Art Exhibition Series, a Residency and Fellowship with the Vermont Studio Center, and the Distinguished MFA Project Award from SUNY Albany. She was also a nominee for the Joan Mitchell Foundation MFA Grant. Her work has been exhibited in many museums and galleries along the east coast, including New York, Washington DC, Baltimore, and Providence.

Fissure. is available for travel to your venue. for more information please contact us.

All work in this exhibit is available for sale. Please contact us for more information &/or to view work in person.