Manifestations
@ One After 909
906 N Ashland Ave, Chicago, IL 60622
Opening Friday, June 14th, from 6PM - 9PM
On view through Saturday, July 13th
Opening Reception: Friday, June 14, 2019 6-9pm
One After 909 is thrilled to present work by Gunjan Kumar, Rhonda Wheatley, and Stacia Yeapanis in “Manifestations.” All three of these artists work in different mediums ranging from paper pulp to perfume bottles, but their work is unified through ritualistic processes, symbolic dualities, and metaphysical interests.
Meanings are layered as thickly as the materials in Kumar’s “Weight of Time” series (2018-19). Bentonite clay, a symbol of cleansing; Wasli, a form of mulberry paper used in India, and unbleached cotton muslin come together in textural, monochromatic pieces that are full of light and shadow. This duality, as well as the juxtaposition of pain and purity, is threaded throughout the sequence.
Wheatley’s body of work “Untitled Paintings” (2010) examines a Hopi Indian concept about universal connectivity on a quantum level. Pastel canvases are topped with white translucent velum—a representation of the invisible net that connects everything in the universe. Beneath are inviting colorful collages of food and precious stones, the physical objects that embody metaphysical ideas about our reality and the things that motivate us. In addition to contemplating energy, viewers are also invited to receive it by gazing upon charged liquids decanted within found perfume bottles.
The meditative quality of Yeapanis’ “The Unwieldy Task of Trying to Get It Just Right” (2019) is demonstrated in her repetitive crochet. This process fluctuates between peace and pain as she meticulously creates each stitch. Although the piece itself has been shown previously in multiple iterations and configurations, in this exhibition it will appear fused in its final form. As it loses its impermanence the crenulated edges are still mutable, changing the overall shape depending on how it is draped in a particular space. This encourages us to focus on the present moment in all of its aspects of anxiety, curiosity, and uncertainty.
The process of creation by these artists is within itself a collaboration of time and space, with the results encouraging us to participate in the outcome. “Manifestations” invites viewers to pause and embark on a spiritual journey that can begin in the gallery space, and continue thereafter.
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Tags: Chicago, Gunjan Kumar, Manifestations, One After 909, Rhonda Wheatley, Stacia Yeapanis, West Town
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