Off the Grid

About

"Off the grid" is a phrase that evokes summer vacation getaways, but it is also one used to describe things out of the ordinary. In addition, there is a long history of grid patterns used in art. Many artists use them as a basis for balancing their compositions, while others use grid patterning within their art itself. There are examples of all these aspects in this BWAC Off the Grid exhibition, using a wide variety of media.

Two photographers in the show illustrate some surprising approaches to "off the grid." Garry Valletri's scenes of summer — one picturing a man fishing and another, a boy flying a kite on a beach — bring to mind lazy summer days and warm breezes. The artist digitally enhanced the photographic images with textural scratches and blemishes that take us back to family photos and home movies, evoking memories of summers past.

Etan Ben-Ami presents photographic scenes of nature that should illicit feelings of calm and tranquility, yet there is something under the surface, unsettling and foreboding. The Haunted Tree in particular, changes a summer breeze blowing through tree branches into a visual that would be at home in a horror movie poster.

Bonnie Ralston's off-the-grid abstraction, This Corrosion XXI (Better to Tread Water than to Drown), is an aqueous rendering of natural elements. Yet, while the flowing green and brown imagery reminds us of pastoral landscapes, the title suggests the daily struggle of modern life. This surprising detail speaks to our need for a physical getaway while managing our mental needs to cope with the mundane.