Contributed by Sharon Garbe / Gathering Moss, the title of a work in Selena Kimball’s exhibition “Ice-blink” at Ulterior Gallery, describes both literal activity and metaphorical non-activity. It’s also the title of a book by the bryologist and Native American author Robin Wall Kimmerer. I learned from that book that moss and lichens grow on every continent and in all climates, from scorching deserts to the coldest polar regions. While the Arctic is a central motif of the show, Kimball’s work also plays with scale, location, and authenticity more broadly. The larger works in the show have physical gaps that raise questions. Who is missing? Who is the hero of a referenced colonial expedition? Do works that look fragile reflect the fragility of what they depict? Kimball’s works are representations of representations that resist easy classification. Some might call them collages. Others might think of cargo cult replicas. I would describe them as conceptual process pieces resulting in low-relief wall sculptures.