For the first time in the 10 year history of Artomatic, I am a participating artist. Actually, I am participating in the arts extravaganza two ways, one as a solo artist and one as part of the collaboration, Space Between. Be sure to check the Space Between blog for updates on that project with John M. Adams and Matt Sargent.
The solo installation is located on the 2nd floor in space 2-3-P-4. Here are some images:
Untitled
Construction-grade plywood
96" x 144" x 1/2"
2009
Here's the statement that I published with the piece:
When an artist participates in Art-o-Matic, installation almost always begins with the artist painting their partition wall. Sometimes the wall is painted a simple white; other times a more outlandish color. Either way, a critical decision has been made: the construction-grade plywood wall is not an adequate ground for presenting the artist’s work. The painted wall, bright colors, mounted works and other embellishments compete for the viewer’s attention. Among the hundreds of installations, artists seek to not be drowned out by the visual noise. But by doing so, are they just creating more noise?
I am interested in dealing with the environment I have been given on its own terms. For me, wood – whether it be cheap plywood or exotic hardwood – is inherently beautiful. My goal as an artist is to create a space for contemplation and appreciation. By process of negation, I remove material until I have less than when I started. The gesture of the hand-drilled holes arranged in a specific composition strives to bring the viewer’s attention inward, to the beauty of the wood. In effect, my work only serves to bring forward that which is already there. For me, the provided wall is more than enough.
As mentioned above, I also participated in a collaborative effort (2-15-P-4). Here are images:
Here is the accompanying statement:
“Space Between” is a collaboration between three artists with similar artistic sensibilities who work in a diverse array of media: painting, sculpture, sound, video, performance, photography, and drawing. The title, "Space Between," hints at the conceptual framework of the project: artists trading sketches, samples, and emails, while using their individualized processes to create a series of ambitious, cross-pollinated multimedia pieces.
Displayed here at Art-o-Matic is a selection of teasers for our collaboration thus far: Kirkland’s photographs are suggestive of video created by a series of nature photographs that undergo subtle changes in saturation. Sargent uses analogues of Kirkland’s saturation to process a series of ambient field recordings for his sound piece. Adams’ wall-drawing is an immediate intuitive response to Sargent’s work, previewing a larger live-performance piece that the two artists are developing. The small diptych at center is a sample from a series of “trigger and response” pieces by Adams and Kirkland.
Finally, an early review has been publsihed by Kevin Mellema in the Falls Church News-Press. The key bits are copied below:
On the deadly serious end of the spectrum you'll find the raw plywood panels of J. T. Kirkland. Using a rectilinear grid, Kirkland used hole saws to bore 345 regularly spaced depressions into plywood panels. Smaller sized bits were used toward the center. It's an interesting concept, thinking outside the box. Innovation is great, but then you have to push it to the next level by doing something interesting with it.
Far more visually entertaining is a small panel Kirkland is showing in a collaborative space with John M. Adams (last reviewed at Greater Reston Arts Center) and Matt Sargent, in an exhibit titled, "Space Between."
Adams has one of his typical horizontal line abstract paintings and a larger undulating abstract drawing. Here Kirkland plays off Adams' horizontal lines by painting horizontal stripes on this panel, and then drilling the board in a seemingly haphazard, overlapping fashion. The panel has the notion of musical scores about it, which appropriately is also part of this collaborative effort. More than any other, Kirkland's piece seems to tie it all together.
You have until July 5 to see the show. Don't miss it!
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