Michael Wolf
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Emrupt Show at Leigh Wen Fine Art in Chelsea

1/23/2014

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 Emrupt at Leigh Wen 548 W 28 St. Suite 636 New York, NY 

Emrupt is an international juried show. I have two sculptures in the show, one titled Golden Sections and one titled Shotgun House. Golden Sections is based on the proportions of the golden section. The sculpture was carved from a freshly cut cherry log when it was still wet. As the wood dried it shrunk, warped, and cracked. This introduced an element of chance into the sculpture and disrupted the precision of the mathematical proportions. Shotgun House is a reaction to the effects of the severe storms that have been affecting North America over the past few years, especially Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy. It alludes to the collision of nature and man made forms. It also references Ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arrangement in which nature and humanity are brought together.
     The show brings together artists from around the globe. Chinese artist Zhang Ying contributed her subtly beautiful and playfully titled woodblock print titled Do You Think This Is Really Zen. It is delicately carved with fine vertical lines which accentuate a centralized circle. The central circle was carved with a wood grain pattern referencing the wood block that the print was made from. The close vertical lines are reminiscent of steel plate engravings but with a less mechanical feel to them.
The block was carefully but not perfectly carved which accentuates the humanness of the product. It has the silent peacefulness of a zen rock garden. It was one of my favorite pieces in the show.
     Richard Bruce's painting Sunyata also has a zenlike, meditative quality to it; although in a more organic way. Bruce's painting has a calming effect like floating noiselessly  underwater. The free-form shapes are reminiscent of coral  and swimming plankton. The viewer is drawn quietly into the painting. Bruce states that he is inspired by art that is both about “Nothing” and “Everything” at the same time.
    In another vein is Yongjae Kim's Silent Neighbors II. This painting has the uneasy stillness of a Edward Hopper painting. The painting is beautifully rendered in warm orange tones and masterfully composed. A large arched window lit from the outside is balanced by the rectilinear shape of a bed. The geometry of the bed is broken by its rumbled bedding. The composition is further enhanced by a centrally placed lamp with electrical wires  falling haplessly about. The painting possesses a mysterious quality. Hung high on a white brick wall between the windows of the gallery is Andrew Ackerman's She Once Said, a portrait of an older woman. It is modeled from gypsum and wax. It has the profound realism of  ancient Roman marble portraits.
Emrupt runs from Jan 9th until January 30th 2014.







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