Curatorial Rationale
My art exhibition draws parallels between how movement can be created through visual and performing art. The featured works commonly explore elements of formalism. Formalism is an approach to art that relies heavily on shape, line, and form, as opposed to narrative or outright thematic significance. I greatly appreciate movement as a dancer, and I found my understanding of it to be subconsciously driving my artistic choices. I decided to explore that connection and elaborate on how rhythm and motion in dance can be translated to a 2-dimensional, visual medium.
At the center of the exhibition’s middle row is my photography series, Ada in 5. Ada in 5 depicts the energetic nature and joy of unrestrained movement and encourages feelings of nostalgia and excitement. I presented the photographs in the center of the collection because physical actions (like those depicted in this series) are at the core of what we conceive movement to be. Our fundamental understanding of movement is physical-- the character of the universally-known, child-like actions depicted in the photographs inspired the character of my subsequent pieces.
The remaining works were strategically placed to frame the central photographs. My focus in presenting the projects was cohesion. Considering the loud character of most pieces, I aimed to avoid making the net-effect of the exhibition overbearing or overwhelming. The black-and-white filter used on Ada in 5 helped establish a more muted tone at the core of the exhibition that helped ground the other highly-abstract pieces and allow for a natural transition to the other black-and-white piece.
In addition to Ada in 5, the middle row consists of three additional pieces: Composition II, III, and IV. Composition II lies directly to the right of Ada in 5. It offers a color-filled alternative to the limited coloring of the photography series. An image of a dancer’s upper body is created through shape, yet this structure blends into the generally abstract look of the piece to dull the distinctions we make between movement in fine art and dance.
To the lower left of Ada in 5, I placed Composition IV, which depicts dancers in the heavy ink linework. The connection in black-and-white color between Ada in 5 and Composition IV allows the eye of the viewer to naturally bridge and associate realistic subject matters (Ada in 5) and abstract depictions of movement (Composition IV) with one another. The transition from physical to abstract movement nods to how movement can be captured physically through actions like dance, as well as visually through formal qualities of art.
To the upper left of Ada in 5, and still within the bounds of the center row, is Composition III. Composition III offers an abstract exploration of movement that does not make as many outright connections to dance or physical movement as the aforementioned pieces do. The patterns in Composition III are sporadic-- they are not rooted in a narrative related to performing arts, yet they do pull from principles of dance like variety and tension. My intent in placing seemingly unrelated pieces next to one another was to highlight the liberating feeling associated not only with finding connections between art pieces of different colors and media, but also the freedom of crossing boundaries between movement-oriented arts and visual arts. The inter-connectivity communicates a fluidity that underscores the idea that art is art, regardless of superfluous distinctions of genre.
The top row of my exhibition includes two pieces: Composition I and Untitled in 2. Composition I, II, III, and IV share many aspects of color and line quality that are integral to the collection’s exploration of movement. Composition I introduces a black-and-white design motif that reoccurs in Composition in 3. Similarly, Untitled in 2 is a digital photomontage that features a digital rendering of Composition III in the background. The “patchwork” collage concept in Composition III is replicated in Untitled in 2. The top row greatly contributes to the cohesiveness of the exhibition.
The bottom row is made up of a singular work, Composition in 3. I decided to place this work at the bottom due to its width. Its vibrancy and the density of shape complemented the grey-scale color of Ada in 5 and Composition IV very well. The piece is an excellent encapsulation of my exhibition’s essence-- it functions as a celebration of movement and abstraction in a way that prompts a reconsideration of the labels we allow to curtail our appreciation of movement in performing and visual arts.