Nancy Lunsford

Description

The 440 Gallery presents: “HEX ” by Nancy Lunsford April 2 - May 10, 2009 Opening Reception: Thursday, April 2, 6 - 9 pm 440 Gallery: 440 6th Avenue, Park Slope, Brooklyn, NY 11215 Nancy Lunsford opens her third solo exhibition at the 440 Gallery with "HEX", a show of drawings, paintings and assemblage. The exhibition runs April 2nd through May 10 with an opening reception on Thursday April 2, 6 - 9 pm. “HEX ” refers to the hexagon, a recurring shape in the work, and also suggests hex as a spell or a curse. The work is dominated by the geometry of traditional Appalachian quilt patterns: one large canvas is a honey colored maze of hexagons and some wall-mounted sculptures are constructed in the traditional "contained crazy" pattern. There are also drawings that represent the hexadecimal base 16 numeral system (hex) used in computer engineering, the artist's nod toward the blessing and curse of the digital revolution. Noting the universal recurrence of geometric patterns in nature, folk art and even the pixilation of contemporary image making, the artist states "It is not so much the content but the shape and patterns themselves that have the power to mesmerize". Lunsford was steeped in the folk art and music of her native Appalachian upbringing and received a BA in Art History and English Literature from NYU. She later studied traditional Indonesian art forms at the National Art Academy in Jakarta, sculpture in Italy and animation at NYU. Ms. Lunsford recently participated in an exhibition at Apel Gallery in Istanbul Turkey and in 2008 had a solo show at the Brooklyn Artists' Gym. One of the founders of 440 Gallery, Lunsford shows regularly in the 440 members gallery and had two previous solo shows here, "Pieces" in 2006 and "Reclaiming Red" in 2005. The gallery is free and open to the public on Thursdays and Fridays from 4 - 7 pm and Saturdays and Sundays from 12 - 6 pm. ARTIST'S STATEMENT For several years I have been exploring geometric shapes and their manifestation in traditional folk art and nature. This has become an obsession, and like all obsessions both a blessing and a curse. Patterns are inherently restrictive: a set of limitations, predictable, but with a sense of comfort and order. Yet, we need chaos, change and surprise in order to thrive. I am drawn to the nexus of these two ideas: order and chaos. My "Contained Crazy" pieces are triangular relief, constructed of individual elements that are arranged in a pattern of hexagons and smaller triangles. The individual elements are created randomly with no preconceived idea of how they will fit together. As the work is constructed, various pieces are rearranged like the pieces in a puzzle, searching for the best fit. The overall pattern is immutable, but the randomly chosen colors and forms of the elements are juxtaposed in jarring or reverberating relationships. I have also returned to simple drawing: graphite on paper. Just as the simple binary code of a computer is the vehicle for incredibly complex expression, the simplicity of black marks on white paper can produce nuance, subtlety, or raw power.

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