Purdue Galleries presents 'Papercuts' in three galleries
June 23, 2014
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Jaq Belcher – Solace, 2010, 108" by 108", hand cut paper (Photo provided) |
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. –Purdue Galleries on July 1 will open an exhibit of contemporary papercut artwork, which will be spread between all three gallery spaces.
"Papercuts" will be presented through Aug. 9 in the Robert L. Ringel Gallery in Stewart Center, the Patti and Rusty Rueff Galleries in Yue-Kong Pao Hall, and Fountain Gallery in downtown Lafayette.
Born in Australia, France, the 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.
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Reni Gower (Mechanicsville, Virginia) – Papercuts: White/Gold (detail), 2010, 44" x 43", acrylic, hand cut paper (Photo provided) |
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," says Reni Gower, the exhibition's curator.
Funding for this exhibition is made possible in part by the Alabama State Council on the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, the City of Mobile (Ala.) and Mobile County. The exhibition is also sponsored in part by VCUarts, School of the Arts at Virginia Commonwealth University.
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Lauren Scanlon (Memphis, Tennessee) – Sweet Torment (Sorrel II) (detail), 2010, 17½" by 15¼", hand cut romance novel book pages/gold thread on paper (Photo provided) |
On July 18 Purdue Galleries will present two events in support of the exhibition. At noon exhibition curator Reni Gower will present a brown bag lecture in the Patti & Rusty Rueff Galleries in Pao Hall. From 6-8 p.m., Galleries will host a reception in the Fountain Gallery in conjunction with the downtown Gallery Walk. A paper-cutting activity will be presented, and the curator will be on hand.
The Robert L. Ringel Gallery is located in Stewart Center on the main campus of Purdue University. Summer hours for Ringel Gallery are 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday and by appointment. The Patti & Rusty Rueff Galleries is located in Yue-Kong Pao Hall. Summer hours for Rueff Galleries are 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday and by appointment. The Fountain Gallery is located at 330 Main Street, Lafayette, in the historic Perrin Building. The gallery is open noon to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. All Purdue Galleries exhibitions and events are free and open to the public.
For class and group visits, contact Craig Martin at Purdue Galleries at 765-494-3061. For more information, visit http://www.purdue.edu/galleries
Contact: Craig Martin, 765-494-3061, cdmartin@purdue.edu
