Space Heater (12/06/19 - 1/12/20)
Space Heater
Curated by Annika Earley
December 1 - January 12, 2020
"The fire confined to the fireplace was no doubt for man the first object of reverie, the symbol of repose, the invitation to repose...It leads to a very special kind of attention which has nothing in common with the attention involved in watching or observing. Very rarely is it utilized for any other kind of contemplation. When near the fire, one must be seated; one must rest without sleeping; one must engage in review on a specific object."
- Gaston Bachelard, The Psychoanalysis of Fire
With this show, we celebrate tradition and transition. Northern people know the hypnotic magic of the red glow of heat against the deep blue landscape. Like the plunge from hot sauna to icy water, we spend our long winters oscillating between the warm emotional and quiet interior life and the changing, and often unwelcoming landscape.
Space Heater gathers paintings, drawings, and sculptures that show the evidence of the artists’ hands, the creation and transmutation of atmosphere, and a strong sense of intimacy. In each work there is an element of magic and a quiet sense of humor. The artists in this show share a sense of deep focus. Whether the works are the result of tracking the natural world, mapping interior emotional and physical life, or the articulation of celestial phenomena, the artists in Space Heater are focusing in on their reveries.
Anne Buckwalter
Mary Cassatt
Melanie Essex
Nancy Gruskin
Josephine Halvorson
Duncan Hewitt
Kathe Kollwitz
Aubrey Levinthal
Elaine K. Ng
Emily Pettigrew
Nathaniel Russell
Brian P. Wagner
Grant Wood
