Zoe Gallery presents Construction/Deconstruction, a multimedia group exhibition featuring artists with seemingly very different products but who share a deep relationship to their process in their art making. The common thread – the process of construction and deconstruction of materials produces art – largely reflects on the artist’s perspective and commentary on the possibilities for artistic production.
The artists featured – Alfonso Fernandez, Ashling Han, Timo Kuzme,Taj Poscé, Elena Kovylyaeva, and Emily Wisniewski – all engage with different stages of the material process in their work. For example, the artists who focus on reconstruction of materials include Fernandez who looks to nature and the natural origins of materials through his creation of dyes from flowers for paintings of his Aztek family tradition. Wisniewski incorporates collage through the inclusion of found materials in her paintings which transforms the pieces into an illusion not only in the materiality of the work but also within the painting.
Kovylyaeva also has a similar element in her works found in the process of her collecting damaged materials and transforming them into solidified forms. She attaches these forms to wire armatures which make up the various paintings and sculptures – a process which reflects both ideas of construction and deconstruction. Kuzme’s work illustrates their interest in painting as an offshoot of their meditation practice as they perform their painting through a process similar to a dance with the audience witnessing the making. Their work highlights both modes of making as well as unveiling the mystery of the art making process.
On the other hand, Han highlights the various equilibriums of materials through the force and tension created by leaving a haphazard compilation of balance. This focus on placement and opposition deconstructs the idea of the artist’s hand. While Poscé deconstructs what would normally be considered finish materials by burning his finished acrylic paintings to create layers of ash.
All these artworks come together to reveal the transformation of materials through destructive and constructive processes. Construction/Deconstruction invites you to reconsider what exactly the creative process is both in the sense of art history but also within your own daily and creative lives.
