A kind of graphic unconscious

About

Opening on Saturday, 4 July from 2 to 4 p.m. and continuing through to 15 August, Susan Hobbs Gallery is pleased to present A kind of graphic unconscious, a group show organized by Moire.

Taking the moiré effect as cue through the convergent practices of Liz Deschenes, Eileen Quinlan, Erin Shirreff, and Erika Vogt — this exhibition considers how a relationship between the material and immaterial becomes permissible through the crossing of singular paths. As an effect, moiré is the perception of a distinct third pattern which occurs when two similar patterns are superimposed slightly askew. By offering access to this latent pattern the immateriality of two dimensions shift to reveal a previously indiscernible three dimensional space. Due to their potential opposition to each other, these patterns can be employed to either obscure content or increase its evidence; thus moiré can be understood as “a kind of graphic unconscious: a basic condition of blur, out of which temporary effects of sharpness are occasionally won.”1 The paradox of the effect is how it uniquely exists in physical space and time, yet also in the space of representation and the image.

Liz Deschenes’ work often focuses on the ethereal qualities of light, manifesting as imprints on photosensitive paper or as reflections by way of densely saturated surfaces. Her constructions, sometimes created without the use of a camera, often have a strong phenomenological component that is perhaps most evident in her Moiré series. Working within a similar context, the imagery present in Eileen Quinlan’s photographs is disrupted through chemical processes and filmic modifications. These techniques, often rooted in chance, create unforeseen compositions and semi-abstracted forms, subsequently expanding the possibility of what might come to appear within the frame.

In the works of Erin Shirreff perceptual shifts are made apparent through the juxtaposition of photographic representations and sculptural forms. Conflating various perspectives, the result is an ambiguous sensation of space and a simultaneous flattening of the object. Also considering the relationship between two and three dimensions, the artistic practice of Erika Vogt centers on a subtle yet complex dialogue between physically present objects and simulated spaces of the screen. In blurring these boundaries, expected functions and narratives are interrupted allowing for a multitude of associations, rather than singular connotations.

Liz Deschenes (b. 1966, Boston, lives in New York) Recent solo exhibitions include MASS MoCA, North Adams, Massachusetts; The Walker Art Center, Minneapolis; and The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago. Deschenes work has also been exhibited at MoMA, New York; Fotomuseum Winterthur, Switzerland; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Jewish Museum of Belgium, Brussels; and Aspen Art Museum, Aspen. Her work is represented by Miguel Abreu Gallery, New York and Campoli Presti, Paris and London.

Eileen Quinlan (b. 1972, Boston, lives in Brooklyn) Recent solo exhibitions include Campoli Presti, London and Paris; Miguel Abreu Gallery, New York; and The Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston. Quinlan has also exhibited at Presentation House Gallery, North Vancouver; the International Center of Photography, New York; MoMA, New York; Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Her work is represented by Miguel Abreu Gallery, New York and Campoli Presti, Paris and London.

Erin Shirreff (b. 1975, Kelowna, lives in New York) Recent solo exhibitions include The Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston; Sikkema Jenkins & Co., New York; White Cube, London; the Contemporary Art Gallery, Vancouver; Carleton University Art Gallery, Ottawa; Agnes Etherington Art Centre, Kingston; and the Institute of Contemporary Art, Philadelphia. Shirreff has also exhibited at MoCCA, Toronto; i8, Reykjavik, Iceland; Extra City Kunsthal and the Middelheim Museum, Antwerp, Belgium; Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto; and MoMA PS1, New York. Shirreff is the 2013 recipient of the AIMIA/AGO Photography Prize. Her work is represented by Sikkema Jenkins & Co., New York.

Erika Vogt (b. 1973, East Newark, New Jersey, lives in Los Angeles) Recent solo exhibitions include the New Museum, New York; Triangle, Marseilles, France; and Hepworth Wakefield, West Yorkshire, UK. Vogt's work has also been exhibited at the MoMA, New York; Centre Pompidou, Paris; the Whitney Museum, New York; the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; and SFMoMA, San Francisco. Her work is represented by Overduin & Co., Los Angeles and Simone Subal Gallery, New York.

Moire is a collaborative project and online publication organized by artists Liza Eurich, Ella Dawn McGeough, and Colin Miner. A forthcoming pdf publication for this exhibition will launch fall 2015.

For more information about this exhibition or the Susan Hobbs Gallery, please give us a call at (416) 504.3699 or visit www.susanhobbs.com.