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Twin Town High (vol. 8) |
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Elements @ Artco Gallery
Wednesday 11 June @ 15:37:03 |
 by Valerie Valentine
Fire, water, air or earth. Which one are you? Passionately impulsive Fire signs devour life. Versatile and eccentric Airs float through the atmosphere and depend on the intellect. Water signals intuition and flow of high emotion. Pragmatism and creature comforts envelop the stoic Earth signs. With an exhibit like this, the art patron can’t help but identify with one or the other.
"Encounter" by Karen Wilcox
As the most tangible and arguably most versatile element, earth gets big ups in this group representation. Tony Ferguson’s raku sculptures encompass pure mud turned into fine art; the firing process weds earth to flames. By shaping clay into seashells, Ernest Miller effectively combines earth, fire and water. The show, while decidedly “grounded,” combines elements for a stunning array of artistic endeavor.
Although entrenched in land organics, Artco exhibits a variety of life out there. Minneapolitans and others are cued into the multitude of artists on the scene; the exhibit includes over a dozen local artists chosen by jury based on their themed submission. The range of media echoes the multifarious components of nature. Oils, pastels, photo, clay, acrylic, and even wood itself creates the show.
Air is hard to capture, for obvious reasons. The artists who attempt to tackle this element take the easy route by mixing it with water. We see storm clouds and tornados ready to jump off the campus and whirl through the space. One element can hardly function (at least in representation) without the other. Daphnae Koop’s mixed media symmetrically summons each element in its necessary turn.
Gwen Partin’s “Land, Sky, Water” manages to mix it up in an unconventional mounting display of nine monotype prints conjoined to form one striking marsh scene. The work is romantic and ecologically minded, inspiring awareness of still, natural beauty.
Karen Wilcox’s work flows and morphs in a watery venue. Her “Terre-Divum” and “Encounter” feature figures floating in a “cosmic soup” that merges multiple life forms. The mixed-genome feel is fantastical yet radiantly real; one might consider the vitality of a watery womb in these paintings.
Because the artists pay homage to earth, air, water and fire, we remember nature. At Artco, the show leaves one inspired to go out and find the elements with fresh eyes. But if we can’t get out of the city to peruse the natural world, we may only need to look inside ourselves.
Elements continues thorugh July 5. Artco Gallery, 1620 Central Ave. NE, Mpls. Hours: Wed. & Fri. – Sun. 11–5 p.m.; Thu. 11–8 p.m. 612-788-8613.
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