D U N N A N D B R O W N C O N T E M P O R A R Y
| Artists | Exhibitions | Publications | Editions | Gallery | Location | Contacts | News/Events |
PRESS RELEASE
Linda Ridgway
Consider
November 15 – December 13, 2003
Dunn and Brown Contemporary is pleased to announce an exhibition of new works by Linda Ridgway. The opening of the exhibition will take place on Saturday, November 15, 2003 from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. The exhibition will continue through Saturday, December 13, 2003.
Consider contains monochromatic works of art ranging from photographic images with graphite, to monoprints, as well as fourteen multi-part bronze sculptures. Ridgway, known for casting from extremely fragile organic materials, makes each unique piece using a highly specialized burnout process. Stepping Stones to Japanese Floral Art by Rachel E. Carr and the poetry of Emily Dickinson influenced these almost ceremonial works which explore the function of beauty, the retracing of memories, and the theme of loss.
Japanese floral arranging or ikebana has been considered an indispensable art in Japan for centuries. Ridgway’s interest in ikebana lies in the art’s adherence to the principals of beauty. The goal, a simple harmonious composition, is achieved by incorporating the three-line asymmetric form of Heaven, Man, and Earth. Ridgway’s work, One/Two/Three, consists of three flowers, depicts heaven as the primary line, man as the secondary line, and earth as the third line in keeping with the Japanese order of beauty.
However, Ridgway’s interests extend beyond the structure of ideal manmade beauty to the categorizations we impose in our own lives. Order illustrates the literal unraveling of knotted thread leading to the word itself neatly crocheted in bronze The tangled disarray serves as a mirror of one’s own personal history and becomes a map for individual order and the evolution of a life lived. A bronze heirloom tablecloth, the only large-scale work in the exhibition, creates an ethereal circular pattern on the floor underneath the steady stream of a single spotlight. Ridgway used the original tablecloth as a model for Family Line I and II, delicate monotypes she then drew over with graphite. The resulting images of the elegant antique fabric unravel on the page like a retracing of memories.
The theme of loss which is prevalent throughout the exhibition is illustrated by the quiet, often somber beauty of Emily Dickinson’s prose. Emily’s Hand Pillow, another exquisite bronze with the look of crochet contains remnants of one of Dickinson’s poems. One work consists of an austere steel box that houses delicate charcoal roses. The memorial quality of the piece is highlighted by the juxtaposition of the ephemerality of the roses coupled with the enduring confines of the steel box. Go Went Gone, a three-part bronze, also seems to be a reflection on the transience of life and coming to terms with loss. A quiet strength abides in all of these works.
Linda Ridgway’s work is included in the permanent collections of the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, Texas; the Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, TX; and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX among others. Ridgway presently lives and works in Dallas, Texas.
Please contact Elizabeth Phy at the gallery for additional information or to request visuals. Dunn and Brown Contemporary is open to the public Tuesday through Saturday from 11:00 until 5:00 p.m. and by appointment.