In a year filled with isolation, grief and turmoil, the artist surrendered to the creative process and emerged with playful forms, bright canvases and hope.. Banal materials such as canv
Trang 1The Box Factory | 1519 Decatur Street, #104 | Ridgewood, NY 11385
Blue Sky Smiling, 2021, acrylic and charcoal on canvas, 64 x 50 inches
APRIL HANNAH
You Are Infinite
April 3 – October 2, 2021
Uncommonly Studio is pleased to present its inaugural exhibition You Are Infinite, new work by April
Hannah on view from April 3 through October 2, 2021 The gallery will host an opening reception on Saturday, April 3, from 12–5pm The exhibition, including paintings and sculptures created during the pandemic, embodies an intention towards optimism In a year filled with isolation, grief and turmoil, the artist surrendered to the creative process and emerged with playful forms, bright canvases and hope
Through her work, Hannah explores the nature of existence, and how universal truth reveals itself through paradox Banal materials such as canvas, charcoal, plywood and acrylic paint are employed through simple means including scribbling, tracing and intuitive mark making to create a complex system of form evolution Hannah begins each painting by randomly placing and tracing a template repeatedly with charcoal onto raw canvas, which results in a chaotic web of lines Looking within this energized space the
Trang 2artist intuitively uncovers spatial relationships through a free-associative method of defining forms through line and transparent layers of acrylic color Within Hannah’s practice, rules, intuition and randomness exist simultaneously
The artist notes, “Following the idea of paradox, my work is in a constant conversation of intuition vs intellect and hand vs machine The tracing of the template is a machine-like process, as are the systems of rules I have created for production Whereas, found forms are the result of chance and my intuition Finding form continues with the viewer as they meditate through the transparent layers of color and follow their own path of charcoal line Each painting is an activated space that invites stillness They are tools for meditation.”
Seven of the paintings on view consist of a series of monochromatic paintings rooted in drawing Influenced by mid-century color field painting, they explore color theory through charcoal line and layered forms of transparent color to produce brightly saturated, raw canvases Two additional paintings push beyond this initial stage of charcoal drawing and tightly held layers to construct a playful world of vibrant color and form The sculptural pieces on view are defined by bright, latex color held in place by
an unpainted plywood edge – a playful exploration of line describing volume These animated forms have evolved directly from the monochromatic color field paintings
April Hannah received her BA from Mercyhurst University and her MFA from School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York Her work has been exhibited nationally at Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) in New York; the Center for Maine Contemporary Art (CMCA) in Rockport, Maine; Arthouse at the Jones Center in Austin, Texas; SPACES Gallery in Cleveland, Ohio; and the Carlos Gallery of Sewanee: The University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee among others Hannah received a MAD Artist Studios Residency Award in 2010 Hannah lives and works in Brooklyn, New York
Uncommonly Studio, established in March 2021, is a shape-shifter space for artists, musicians and creators to showcase their work and create experiences that light people up By appointment
For inquiries, please contact april@aprilhannah.com or studio@un-commonly.com