Group Exhibition | Shadow and Light

Guest Curated by Reni Gower
Artists Jaq Belcher, Béatrice Coron, Michelle Forsyth, Reni Gower, Lenka Konopasek, Lauren Scanlon, Daniella Woolf.

May 18 - June 29, 2013

Tinney Contemporary is pleased to present Shadow and Light, an exhibition guest curated by Reni Gower. Born in Australia, France, Czech Republic, Canada, and the United States, the artists (Jaq Belcher, Béatrice Coron, Michelle Forsyth, Reni Gower, Lenka Konopasek, Lauren Scanlon, and Daniella Woolf) bring a broad range of international perspectives to the contemporary art of paper cutting. Using all manner of tools and paper, the artists create works that range from narrative commentaries to complex structural abstractions. Their works are bold contemporary statements that celebrate the subtle nuance of the artist's hand through a process that traces its origins to 6th century China. Light, shadow, and color play key roles, transforming this ancient technique into dynamic installations filled with delicate illusions.

Each artist contributes a unique sensibility within a complex (often installation based) construct that has hand cut paper at its core. Whether manifested as silhouettes, romanticized fictions, enigmatic reenactments, cryptic scripts, or poetic abstractions, the artists address historical, cultural, and personal identity. By encrypting their content through arduous and obsessive processes (cutting, rolling, punching, folding, pinning) these meditative works are charged with narrative, metaphor, and beauty.

"Laboriously cut by hand, the works in the exhibition are poetic interplays of light and shadow." Reni Gower, curator.

Artist Bios:

Australian born, Jaq Belcher currently lives and works in New York City where she is a studio member of the Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts. She received her BA from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, a BED from Melbourne University and a MA from the University of New South Wales College of Fine Arts. She furthered her study and received numerous awards from the National Academy of Art and Design, New York. Her work is held in private collections around the world and she actively exhibits in New York. Recently her papercuts were featured in the exhibition Cutters at the Hunterdon Museum of Art.

French artist Béatrice Coron lived in Egypt, Mexico, and China before relocating to New York City. In addition to the art of paper cutting and artist's books, Béatrice also creates public art commissions in stainless steel and aluminum. Her work has been actively exhibited in France and the United States and is included in major collections, such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, National Gallery of Art, and the Walker Art Center. Her public art installations can be found in universities libraries, subways, and airports, such as Stanford University, Princeton University, Bibliothèque Nationale de France, and the Douglas International Airport, Charlotte, NC.

Michelle Forsyth is a Canadian artist living and working in Pullman, WA. She is an Associate Professor / Head of Painting at Washington State University. She holds an MFA from Rutgers University and a BFA from the University of Victoria. Her art work has been showcased coast to coast and throughout Canada in Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Las Vegas, Seattle and Spokane as well as Victoria, Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary. She is the recipient of grants from the Canada Council for the Arts and Artist Trust, and was recently awarded second prize in the William and Dorothy Yeck Young Painters Competition in Oxford, OH.

Virginia based artist, Reni Gower is a Professor of Art in the Painting and Printmaking Department at Virginia Commonwealth University. She received a MFA from Syracuse University, a MA from University of Minnesota, and a BS from the University of Wisconsin. Her art work has been showcased at international and national venues for over 30 years. She is the recipient of numerous awards including a NEA / SECCA Southeastern Artist Fellowship and Virginia Commission for the Arts Project Grants. Her work is represented in numerous collections such as the Tweed Museum, Capitol One, Pleasant Company / Mattel, Inc, Via Designs, Inc, and Media General, Inc.

Lenka Konopasek was born in the Czech Republic where she attended the School of Applied Arts in Prague. After immigrating to the United States, she received a BFA from University of Utah and a MFA from Maine College of Art. She teaches art at University of Utah and Westminster College in Salt Lake City. She is the recipient of numerous NEA / Utah Arts Council Individual Artist Grants. Her work has been exhibited widely throughout United States, Taiwan, Germany, India and the Czech Republic. She is represented by galleries in Salt Lake City, Denver, Tulsa and Prague.

Southern born and raised, Lauren Scanlon is an independent, interdisciplinary artist. She earned a BA in cultural anthropology from the University of Memphis and worked as a human statue in New Orleans and Asheville, NC before earning an MFA in printmaking from Ohio State University in 2007. Her work has been shown extensively throughout the Southeast and Midwest and she has received numerous awards, grants, and residencies. Represented by Penland Gallery, NC her work is in the print and artist book collections of MOMA - Franklin Furnace, the University of Maine, and Penland School of Craft.

California based textile artist / painter / teacher, Daniella Woolf holds an MA in Textile Structures from UCLA and a BA from California State University. Her work has been exhibited extensively for over 35 years most notably on the west coast. She is represented by Wexler Gallery in Philadelphia. She is a recipient of the Rydell Visual Arts Fellowship and Gail Rich Award for Excellence in the Arts in Santa Cruz. In 2010 she published the book and teaching DVD, Encaustic With a Textile Sensibility. Her newest book, The Encaustic Studio: A Wax Workshop in Mixed-Media Art was published by Interweave Press in May 2012.

Nashville, Tennessee
Contemporary Art Gallery

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