January 5th – February 2nd, 2008

Scott Sherk: Walks: sound and sculpture

The rhythm of walking generates a kind of rhythm of thinking, and the passage through a landscape echoes or stimulates the passage through a series of thoughts.

        - Wanderlust: A History of Walking, Rebecca Solnit

Scott Sherk began with the idea that he could find a visual and aural way to document an interesting walk. Recording the walk with both a stereo recorder and a GPS tracking system led Sherk to the realization that the act of walking was itself a drawing in space. This drawing – his walking – could be represented three dimensionally in sculpture. Back in the studio he transformed GPS information that recorded his path and elevation into welded steel forms. He edited his field recordings from his stereo to accompany the sculptures. Together, these works become an installation of soundscape and landscape. He recently walked the museum mile in Manhattan recording the interiors of each museum and the sounds of Fifth Avenue. Each walk that Sherk takes has its own peculiar shape that reflects the landscape and each recording has its own aura that reflects the soundscape.

Gerald Wolfe: Variations

The process of making a painting and the use of untraditional materials has always been the driving force in Wolfe’s work. In these most recent paintings he is applying cotton drop cloths that you would find at any building materials store to panels of wood. The porous quality and imperfections of the drop cloths is what draws Wolfe to this material. As each piece begins to evolve, cutting and patching also takes place until the final statement is realized. Visual elements of Islamic Art, museum artifacts, and the quilts by the women of Gee’s Bend continue to be important sources for these paintings. Wolfe’s imagery combines the patchwork aspects of quilt making, and the fragmentary nature of Greek and Roman museum displays with the fluid, interwoven nature of Islamic art.

For further information, please contact the gallery.