HF exhibits new work in major survey of pattern, repetition, motif
Norte Maar is pleased to present Between a place and candy: new works in pattern + repetition + motif curated by independent curator Jason Andrew. Exhibition is on view at 1285 Avenue of the Americas Gallery, New York, NY, March 16-June 12.
The title takes it’s clue from a phrase by Gertrude Stein, who over 100 years ago seeking a literary equivalent to cubism attempted in her prose to “banish memory” to “articulate a continuous present where writing recreates itself anew in each successive moment.” Stein’s writing, considered both repetitive and illogical, stretched the medium of fiction and reality, time and place.
The work of these artists should be seen through this early modernist lens. In some form or another artists seek to renew themselves through each attempt at the canvas. Whether consciously or unconsciously it is often through the use of pattern, repetition, and motif (or the combination of all three) that the artist returns almost instinctually to “articulate a continuous present.” It can also be argued that if an artwork remains “continuously present” it is neither finished nor unfinished. Perhaps this is the exact state at which these artists have arrived.
Between a place and candy brings together an experienced and clever bunch. While it may appear that each has devised a system or strategy to compose their work, they all retain a sense of improvisation in the process. In their individual way, each has learned to balance vagueness (romantic value) and clarity (classical value). The resulting work is pushed beyond a mere optical phenomenon. What we are witnessing here is a new chapter in the history associated with the Pattern and Decoration art movement of the 1970's.
Curator Jason Andrew writes:
HERMINE FORD makes paintings using visual material from a wide variety of sources. These include: direct observation of the natural world, scientific images of topography, cartography, tide charts, sky maps etc., and also images of man-made cultural artifacts. Over the years, she has spent long periods of time in relatively uninhabited spaces on the Atlantic seaboard and on long visits to Rome. These locations and their varying shapes, colors, textures are subjects of her art.
About the Curator. Jason Andrew is an independent scholar, curator, and producer. Specializing in the field of Post War American Art, Mr. Andrew is currently the Manager of the Estate of Abstract Expressionist painter Jack Tworkov. He has published extensively on the artist and is currently editing the catalogue raisonné of paintings by the artist. A prominent figure in the Bushwick, Brookyn art scene, Mr. Andrew is the co-founder of Norte Maar, a non-profit now celebrating its 10th Anniversary encouraging, promoting and presenting collaborative projects in the arts.
For his curatorial projects Mr. Andrew was voted “Best Exhibitionist” (2011) by the Village Voice, and was a feature in L Magazine’s “Who Made the New Brooklyn” (2011). In 2014, he was named by Brooklyn Magazine, one of 100 Most Influential People in Brooklyn Culture. From 2009-2011 he co-founded Storefront with Deborah Brown. Last year he partnered with Julian Jimarez Howard and John Silvis to open Outlet Fine Art. His exhibitions have been critically reviewed by Artforum, Art in America, Art News, and The New York Times among others.
Guarding against special interests in any particular style or genre, his curatorial projects bridge gaps left in art history and reflect the creative imagination of the past, present and future. Recent curatorial projects include: To be a Lady: a century of women in the arts (1285 Avenue of the Americas Gallery / Sundaram Tagore Gallery, Singapore); the retrospective exhibition Jack Tworkov: Against Extremes / Five Decades of Painting (UBS Art Gallery / Provincetown Art Association and Museum, 2009); Jack Tworkov: Accident of Choice, the artist at Black Mountain College 1952 (Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center, 2011).
Mr. Andrew is a patron of young artists and consultant to collectors. He frequently lectures on the creative imagination and its relationship to collaboration within the various disciplines of Art. He currently lives in Bushwick, Brooklyn.
Norte Maar for Collaborative Projects in the Arts is a 501(c)3 non-profit arts organization founded in 2004 by curator Jason Andrew and choreographer Julia K. Gleich with a mission to create, promote, and present collaborations in the disciplines of the visual, literary, and the performing arts: connecting artists, choreographers, composers, writers, and other originating artists with venues and each other. Norte Maar encourages and supports innovative and educational projects in the arts by offering unique exhibitions, unusual performances, workshops and lectures for artists and residents of our community. Norte Maar aims to be a leader in building collaborative partnerships between originating artists and other organizations thereby uniting cultural forces to foster artistic expression and raise the imaginative energy in us all. Norte Maar is all about blurring the lines that distinguish artistic practices.