A Strange Sense of Calm

December 3 – December 26, 2011 at Botanic

Opening Reception for the Artists

Friday 12.9.2011, 7 – 9 pm

150 Wycoff Ave, Brooklyn NY 11237

Gallery Sat/Sun 1 – 5 pm

Artists: Amanda Browder, Joy Drury Cox, Justin Goetz,  Parinot Kunakornwong, JF Lynch, Paula Searing, Marc Slanger, Jessica Walker; curated by Paul M Nicholson

A Strange Sense of Calm is intended to shine light on to the notional and aesthetic meanderings of artists employing a drawing methodology in their creative practice.  For this show finished and unfinished works were chosen from a group of 8 artists [most of who do not self-identify as drawers].   Nonetheless, each artist makes use of drawing in their own way, they have ideas, make plans, sketch things out, experiment, record and describe in some way as a part of their creative practice. 

Drawing is a process to record, work out, and describe ideas using sign, symbol and form; it’s one of the oldest and most accessible ways of working that almost every practitioner in every discipline uses at one time or another. Moma’s recent exhibition, On Line; Drawing Through the Twentieth Century, put forth a persuasive argument in support of drawing’s “departure from the institutional definition of drawing” while abandoning the burden of the illusionistic representational image paradigm.  Drawing as a practice has undoubtedly gone well beyond the page in this our digital era manifesting itself in every form imaginable, while at the same time mark-making has manages to maintain its importance.

Employing a minimalist sensibility, Justin Goetz’ 2011 piece “A Strange State of Calm”, uses deceptively simple approach which is the heart of this unique drawing exhibition. In this work we’re presented with a photocopied book of ephemeral line illustration depicting utopic homes, castles, manors, and other environments, all crafted in a strange state of calm.