A Narrow Passage

A Narrow Passage

October 14 – November 12, 2017
Opening Reception: Saturday, October 14, 3-6pm

Megan Mueller, Sssssssss, hydrodipped frame and rope, 24″ x 14″ x 1.5″, 2015

 

Noysky Projects presents A Narrow Passage, a multidisciplinary exhibition that explores themes of constriction, compression, and concealment as a way to relate to personal biographies.

Abstract works from A Narrow Passage are comprised of materials that twist, turn, bond, choke, or smother to the point of collapse, while others have approached constriction in a more gratifying way, like the comforting sensation of a warm embrace or the euphoric feeling of pleasure derived from pain.

Artists have used the compression of space as a visual device to relate to the body for thousands of years. Ancient Egyptians wrapped the body in ornate sheaths that accentuated the unique forms of the individual, while providing familiar biographical landmarks to aid the spirit in its journey to the afterlife. Shibari, a form of Japanese rope bondage developed during the Edo period, was used as a decorative device to display captive prisoners like trophies, creating complex patterns and shapes that pressed into the skin. Twentieth-Century works from Man Ray and Christo & Jeanne-Claude have used concealment as a means to invoke mystery, transformation, and revelation, while Eva Hesse and Jackie Winsor put the body back into abstraction, using hands-on processes and tactile materials that actively rejected the detached qualities of the minimalists.

Many of the works in A Narrow Passage employ elements of playfulness with form while acknowledging the weight and density of the artist’s chosen materials. Some of the works in A Narrow Passage relate to the quirks of the body, straddling the line between fragility and rigidity, using irregular, organic forms. Others have used tension to reveal internal conflict, illuminating our efforts to adapt to our new political realities while also protecting the ideas we cherish most.

Moreover, the works in A Narrow Passage touch on core tenets of materialism: the theory that all objects are alive because of their capacity to make a difference in the world, influencing each other in a complex web of interrelationships. These works can be seen as a bridge between animate and inanimate objects, combining to produce effects that are both dramatic and subtle.

Artists include: Lana Duong, James Gilbert, Jenalee Harmon, Megan Mueller, Jenny Rask, Nicolas Shake, Katya Usvitsky, and May Wilson

 


MORE INFO

On view: October 14 – November 12, 2017
Opening Reception: Saturday, October 14, 3-6pm
Exhibition hours: Thursday-Saturday, 12–6pm, and by appointment
Public transportation: Red Line to Hollywood/Highland. Walk 2 blocks east.
Parking: 2 hour validated parking at Hollywood & Highland Center: 1768 N. Highland Ave ($2); 1618 N. Las Palmas Ave ($10); 1520 N. McCadden Pl ($7); or street parking in vicinity ($2 per hour)


Nicolas Shake, TPV:EGG.I.2017, Polycaprolactone, petroleum, and palm frond, 44.5” x 37.75” x 6.5” , 2017

 

Jenalee Harmon, On or Off (Documentation is Underway), Archival pigment print, 30” x 40”, 2017

 

Jenny Rask, Mainmise, Spandex, cotton, salvaged wool yarn, polyester swim suit remnants, polyfil, thread, 16.5″ x 13″ x 8″, 2017

 

James Gilbert: It May Be Time To Rethink the Way You Think, hand-dyed canvas, polyester rope, wood, wax, 88” x 40” x 27”, 2017

 

Katya Usvitsky: Connection, nylon and fiberfill, 10″ x 40″, 2011

 

Lana Duong: A boat rock, vinyl, plaster, metal chain, rope, 19″ x 19” x 33”, 2017

 

May Wilson: Untitled (Ground), 12” x 14” x 18”, vinyl, Tuffstone, strapping, 2017

 

Jenny Rask: Clear baby, spandex, tulle, salvaged cord, wool, 19” x 11” x 4”, 2017

 

Megan Mueller: Untitled, hydrodipped trophy plaque, hydrodipped coconut bra and Mason’s line, 22″ x 16″ x 3″, 2016

 


INSTALLATION IMAGES

Nicolas Shake, left, Katya Usvitsky, May Wilson, and Megan Mueller

 

Nicolas Shake, detail

 

Jenny Rask, left, Lana Duong, and James Gilbert

 

Lana Duong, detail

 

Katya Usvitsky, left, May Wilson, Megan Mueller, and Jenalee Harmon

 

May Wilson

 

Jenalee Harmon

 

Nicolas Shake

 

Jenny Rask

 

Katya Usvitsky

 

Megan Mueller

 

Nicolas Shake

 

May Wilson