Last week I stopped by Exit Art to see “Geometric Days,” an exhilarating exhibition of new paintings that “deploy geometry to expose organizational structures from microscopic, political, and spiritual dimensions.” I agree with the premise that geometry, abstraction and painting are ingrained in our interpretation of experience. Yes, geometry is a measure of space and time, abstraction is a poetic expression of the visual, and painting is the manifestation of a will to communicate. Indeed, geometry isn�t always abstract–it’s simply another form of reality.
These paintings call upon mathematics as a spiritual force (and geometry as its visual realization) that codes the experiences of nature, built environments, social constructs, and the digital world. “For these artists geometry is more than a combination of lines.” curator Artist/Curator Papo Colo writes. “The nature of images is mathematical. Geometry divides borders, topography and climate. This labyrinth of numbers and forms construct the world in a rational way but also transform surfaces/images into spiritual substances that take you to a space of esoteric solutions.” Paintings by Rico Gatson, Peter Hildebrand, Charles Koegel, Geoffrey Owen Miller, Driss Ouadahi, Paul Pagk, Nathlie Provosty, and Dannielle Tegeder are included in the show. For me, Rico Gatson’s irresistible constructed pieces and Paul Pagk’s big awkward geometries stole the show.
“Geometric Days,” curated by Jeanette Ingberman and Papo Colo with Herb Tam. Exit Art, New York, NY. Through April 30, 2011
var a2a_config = a2a_config || {};
a2a_config.linkname = “Two Coats of Paint”;
a2a_config.linkurl = “https://www.twocoatsofpaint.com”;
a2a_config.prioritize = [“delicious”, “email”, “linkedin”, “twitter”, “tumblr”, “stumbleupon”, “facebook”, “blogger_post”, “google_gmail”, “google_buzz”, “digg”, “aim”];
