Vesod
Francesco Lo Castro
Brian Guidry
Mary McCarthy
Nawer
Grant Miller
Morten Anderson
Christine Morla
LX One
Gilbert1
Robert Moya
Adrian Navarro
Josh Reames
Mark Schoening
Michael Covington
Leah Wolff
Claudio Drë
I was able to attend Mirus Gallery’s group exhibition “Geometry of Chance” a couple of weeks ago. The newly established gallery curated a excellent body of work focusing on new and rising contemporaries. It was also to see some familiar names on the exhibition list that we have have been part of graffuturism for awhile now. Below is a more detailed show summary and we suggest if you are in San Francisco you make the time to see the work in person. Excellent body of work from some great artists.
GF
Mirus Gallery
540 HOWARD ST – SAN FRANCISCO
Jul 27th 2013 to Aug 31st 2013
July 9, 2013 (San Francisco, CA) — Mirus Gallery is pleased to announce Geometry of Chance, a group show featuring work by Morten Andersen, Claudio Drë, Gilbert1, Felipe Goncalves, Brian Guidry, Francesco Lo Castro, Mary McCarthy, Darren McManus, Grant Miller, Christine Morla, Robert Moya, Adrian Navarro, Nawer, LX One, Joshua Reames, Mark Schoening, Vesod, and Leah Wolff. Geometry of Chance will examine the use of mathematical principles as applied through these artists’ distinct bodies of work.
Geometry has long held an important role in art history, with the two fields sharing the same foundational principles of line, shape, balance, symmetry, scale and proportion. It was through the application of these elements that the artists of the Renaissance devised the technique of perspective. The application of perspective was the game-changer that defined Western art movements for centuries to come, and for which even the most abstract artists are held accountable to when choosing to either embrace or challenge it in their practices.
The artists in Geometry of Chance embrace geometry’s application through a variety of mediums and to varying effects, using geometric functions and understanding to communicate universal ideas that transcend individual knowledge or taste. Our understanding of geometry is hardwired into our evolution, for example studies have found that we view symmetrical features as more beautiful. This exhibition offers viewers the opportunity to see the application of these principles in their full spectrum; the binaries of art and math, emotion and intellect lose their duplicity and become two sides of the same coin.
Our current era of information overload and constant technological demand offers little opportunity to consider the physical world as we once did; these artists strive to depict a world we can lose ourselves in and come out the other side more in touch with our physical selves. Geometry of Chance offers the viewer the chance to re-examine the inner self, and reconnect with the inner explorer in all of us; the explorer that sought out the science of geometry in the first place.
Grant Miller’s artistic process mirrors the construction of history, recognizing the complexities that exist due to the multiple viewpoints that make up the sum of experience. As individual paintings, they represent a moment of clarity and a link in a chain of actions and events. Using a combination of structural elements, he achieves a formally defined space that speaks to the on-going internal cycle of information and processing that make up the human experience.
In her two-dimensional paper construction paintings Christine Morla explores cultural signifiers through her use of Filipino packaging, giving new meaning to what had formerly been considered trash. The weaving techniques she learned from her father are transformed through her use of these unconventional materials and geometric patterns, building upon her own cultural identity while commenting on the idea as a whole.
Mark Schoening’s vivid paintings speak to the overload and constant processing required in the information age. Embracing the barrage and reflecting on it, presenting an intellectual environment of synapses firing on all pistons, reacting to the constantly changing input surrounding us. His work acts as a product of the times, individual to the unique circumstances of lifestyle in the 21st century, and investigating our ever expanding ability to take in a multitude of simultaneous experiences.
Leah Wolff addresses this technology induced disconnect from one’s surroundings with her mixed media works made from organic materials. Her practice seeks to extract meaning from the process of making, as our world becomes less inhabited by objects, and increasingly digitized and fleeting. Her art often resembles utilitarian objects such as tools, which act as an anchor to another, more tactile and physical era. Her rough hewed geometric shapes nod at the role of the natural order in technology, reminding the viewer that the origin and root of scientific pursuit lies in the natural realm, an area from which we increasingly detach ourselves.
Mirus Gallery is a dynamic exhibition space established by entrepreneur, Paul Hemming. The gallery features a program of contemporary artwork by emerging and mid-career artists in both solo and thematically organized group shows. Mirus Gallery highlights work that emphasizes skill and process and aims to engage viewers on a sentient, emotional and evocative level.
In 2013, the initiation of an artist-in-residency program will pursue the gallery’s values of
community and collaboration by providing a live-in/on-site studio space for artists to make and exhibit work in a supportive environment, conducive to creativity.
