…DO…PART… exhibition with Lauren Kalman
originates from an action where traditionally thrown clay vessels and blown glass are distorted through being held or hugged by a jewelry-wearing body. Once the vessels are distorted, they are not altered; oxidation of the metal, tension cracks in the clay, folds in the glass, and textures are all locked in place. These objects are markers of a specific moment and relationship between the body, jewelry, and vessel. They solidify that moment, much like the void of a victim of Pompeii left in the ash.
This new work expands previous projects by Kalman to include new gestures, materials, vessel configurations, and, importantly, the examination of adornment and ornamentation of bodies and objects in space. In the glass works, the jewelry is left behind with the vessel, along with the impression of the body.
The vessels become proxies for other bodies, a stand-in for another person. They also became a record of the absent body through holding absence in their volume paired with the imprint of the negative space of hands, torso, and limbs. Once the vessels are formed, they are not altered, tension cracks, folds, and textures are all fired in place.
The juxtaposition of clay and glass bodies reveals the cognitive glitch that distorts our perceptions when reconciling ‘opacity’ and ‘transparency’ in both the physical and the abstract sense.
Opening Reception, Friday March 27, 6-8 PM
I. M. Weiss Gallery
1501 Parkview St., Detroit, MI 48214