May 23 - June 19, 2024

Chroma: Helen Iranyi, Robert Petrick, and Matthew Turov

Curtain Call: Darla Bjork

When This You See, Remember Me: Ann Kronenberg

Opening Reception: Thursday, May 23, 2024, 6 - 8pm

Helen Iranyi

In Chroma, Helen Iranyi, a dedicated artist known for her vibrant abstract paintings, finds inspiration and excitement in the world of paint. Stepping into an art supply store fills her with exhilaration as she contemplates the array of materials at her disposal. While some artists may approach a blank canvas with trepidation, for Iranyi, it presents a thrilling challenge. Rather than beginning with considerations of composition or style, she starts with color, using it as the foundation upon which to build shapes, textures, and interactions within her work. Commenting on her "exploitation of sheer, luminous color," The New York Times reported, "Helen Iranyi... shows a distinct gift... She is at her strongest in pictures that adhere to brilliant colors with their brilliance unveiled by elaborate overlays of pigment." For Iranyi, color is the cornerstone of her artistry, and she aims to express light and form through the weaving and manipulation of these hues.

Robert Petrick

Robert Petrick's work is a testament to over 45 years of unwavering dedication to pushing the boundaries of painting. Through his masterful use of color and loosely formed shapes rooted in gestural geometry, Petrick crafts an energetic interplay of forms that blur the line between object and abstraction. In his ongoing series, "Innersections," featured in the exhibition Chroma, he captures the essence of struggle, the ceaseless movement, and the electrifying energy that courses through a city. Infusing translucent hues with dynamic shape, Petrick illuminates the myriad facets of urban life, both seen and unseen.

Matthew Turov

Matthew Turov presents bright and dynamic geometric acrylic paintings on linen in the exhibition Chroma. His artistic vision revolves around exploring the interaction between nature-based and system-based forms within a vibrant spectrum of colors. He delves into line, rhythm, hue, luminosity, and harmony, seeking a balance between emotion and perception, joy and logic, the intuitive and the analytical. A central theme in Turov's work is the continuity of line, serving as a foundation upon which shapes emerge as planes of color, intertwined with linear and curvilinear movement. His practice is marked by an enduring fascination with the contrast between the seemingly static forms of ancient Egyptian art and the perpetual dynamism depicted in Futurism. Lines and colors intertwine to create arrangements that perpetually interact, embodying both suspended motion and continuous motility. Turov states, “In love with colors and the virtually endless ways they relate to each other, I often liken color relationships to musical scales or filaments in constant motion. Music is a constant for me and I enjoy discovering new ways of transforming notes into colors.”

Darla Bjork

In her first solo-exhibition with Carter Burden Gallery painter Darla Bjork explores themes of death and transition through a series of gestural paintings in Curtain Calls. At the age of 85, Bjork’s contemplation on mortality deepened. While she transitioned from her previous COVID Windows Series, she found herself drawn to painting a peculiar shape, which gradually transformed into curtains. The symbolism of the curtain intrigued her — was it reminiscent of the enigmatic emerald curtain in The Wizard of Oz, prompting curiosity about what lie on the other side? Or perhaps it resembled the curtains of a theatrical production, echoing Shakespeare's assertion that "All the world’s a stage..." Through this series, Bjork grapples with existential questions about what lies behind the veil. Is death a barrier, a threshold, or merely the beginning of a new act? These opaque shrouds symbolize the uncertainty of the future and the inability to foresee what comes next. Drawing inspiration from poems like Mary Oliver’s When Death Comes, which approaches death with inquisitiveness rather than despair, Bjork’s artistic journey reflects a profound inquiry into the unknown. Ultimately, Curtain Calls serves as an elegy, a poetic reflection on loss and the inevitability of death, inviting the viewer to join in pondering the mysteries of existence and the passage beyond.

When This You See, Remember Me: Ann Kronenberg

When I am dead and in my grave
And all my bones are rotten
When this you see, remember me
That I am not forgotten.

In a captivating homage to the enduring legacy of needlework, artist Ann Kronenberg unveils her installation, reimagining discarded textiles as components of a monumental fabric assemblage. When This You See, Remember Me serves as an exploration of craftsmanship, memory, and preservation. Drawing inspiration from the poignant 18th and 19th-century poem above, which was embellished onto embroidered textiles, Kronenberg delves into the notion that the artistry of needlework often outlasts the needleworkers themselves. In an era dominated by machine-manufactured textiles and shifting societal norms, Kronenberg's work offers a compelling reflection on the evolving role of handcrafted textiles. Over the span of five decades, Kronenberg meticulously collected a diverse array of handcrafted items and fragments. These treasures, sourced from used textile dealers, thrift shops, and personal connections, weave together a narrative of craftsmanship and tradition. Each piece carries with it a story—a testament to the dedication and skill of its creator. Through her installation, Kronenberg breathes new life into these relics, inviting viewers to contemplate the intricate beauty of needlework and the stories embedded within each stitch. Kronenberg states, “The installation is completed by written accounts of the histories of selected needlework components—an effort to remember and honor my needlework collaborators, both the known and the anonymous.”

When This You See, Remember Me is on view from April 18 - July 24, 2024.