CoLAB Projects presents Ann Schwab: ‘PURE’

Work displayed within postcard - Maple Seed: Horizontal Suture, mixed-media and encaustic, 4” x 6” x 1.5”

October 3 – 31, 2009
Opening Artist Reception: October 3, 2009 from 6pm – 9pm during ‘Art for Arts’ Sake’

"My photographic work depicts different steps in the process of coping with physical and emotional trauma, the physical wounds often acting as metaphors for emotional ones. Depiction of uncomfortable, disquieting acts, evidence of the sources of strength within and the course of healing provide trauma and healing as the point and counter point in the stages of affliction and recovery.

This current body of work – PURE – focuses on the regenerative, curative power of the natural world. The exaltation of the humble, the reverence of the beauty and singularity of form and the evocation elicited by a site or entity are presented as a balm for healing from injury.

Plants or natural forms figure prominently in my work. The human healing process is metaphorically paralleled and facilitated by nature. The aesthetics/beauty of nature allows for a rejuvenation of the spirit, and function as a wellspring of strength. Also, the self-healing capabilities of plants are contrasted with the human process of healing. I am fascinated with a plant’s ability to regenerate. I draw parallels between our human methods of overcoming trauma– both emotional and physical– and the growth processes of the natural world.

For the Lilt installation, and the other works based on maple seeds, I was captivated by the dual fragility and durability of these seeds. Their diaphanous structures– seemingly so tenuous– are tenacious, and result in the propagation of the species. These seeds have a strength that belies their delicate appearance.

In both the Ultrasounds series and in Linger, this parallel between our human progress and the growth processes of the natural world manifests itself in a different manner. While viewing jellyfish, I was struck by the similarity of their movements in the water with the movements of my unborn son in the amniotic fluid of the womb. The elegant, languorous movements of the jellyfish were hypnotic and soothing. I was again made aware of the commonalities of all living organisms and the underlying connections between us.

Formally, I enjoy creating relationships between disparate elements. And, through the use of multiples and serials of prints, I am able to reveal narratives and to draw correlations between seemingly incongruous elements. In Ultrasounds, I have created a relationship between an image and a sound component. When experienced in conjunction with one another, each element becomes greater than the sum of its parts– and maintains a symbiotic dependency. By utilizing a variety of materials, I can develop a more interactive piece of work with which the viewer can have a dialogue. In Lilt, by freeing the image from the confines of the standard rectangle, and by giving it a three-dimensional form, the images become interactive with the viewer’s space– blurring the edge of where the piece ends and the outside world begins. Employing varied media and alternative formats allows me a simultaneous freedom and accuracy which traditional photography alone does not provide. It allows me to correlate my idea with my piece more exactly to most effectively convey my message.” – Ann Schwab


About the artist:
Ann Schwab works in photography, mixed media and installation and received her B.F.A. from the Maryland Institute College of Art and an M.F.A. from Tulane University. She has been the recipient of numerous awards including: a Maryland State Arts Council Fellowship, a Louisiana Division of the Arts Fellowship, a Surdna Foundation Fellowship and professional development grants from the Louisiana Division of the Arts and the Surdna Foundation. Ann Schwab's work has gained critical acclaim in publications such as Art Papers, New Orleans Art Review, Kansas City Art Review and The Gambit. Her works have been exhibited nationally and internationally and are held in numerous institutional and private collections.

--

A selection of current works by Ann Schwab may be viewed online at: http://www.colabprojects.com/gallery/19143/Ann%20Schwab

527 St. Joseph Street, New Orleans, LA 70130 – 504.566.8999
www.colabprojects.com
info@colabprojects.com

CoLAB Project Presents, ‘Holy Cards and Other Versions of Mortality’

Immaculate Open Heart of Mary and Sacred Open Heart of Jesus, mixed-media on shrinky dink, 5”x3.5” each

CoLAB Projects presents
Jessica Goldfinch: ‘Holy Cards and Other Versions of Mortality’
September 5 – 27, 2009
Opening Artist Reception: September 5, 2009 from 6pm – 9pm

Artist Statement:
"Many religious myths have parallel storylines and meaning, and are thought to have the same historical point of origin. To explore this complex nature of religion, the Holy Card series collapses religious concept and imagery into one ideal, incorporating iconography from the Egyptian bird god Horus to Michelangelo’s Pietà, as well as other religious signifiers such as the Christian cross, the veil of Muslim faith, and the Hindi multiple-armed figures. In repealing the fourth-century Nicene Creed and humanizing the divine, the series is intended to depict humanist “religious” imagery that fits human concerns and needs more truthfully in our times. These works are meant to investigate the commonalities of humanity and to dissect the global clash of cultures and values present in our world today. Although the works illustrate the mystery and beauty of religion, they also are intended to be ironic and secular — an attempt to humanize the concept of “god.”– Jessica Goldfinch

About the Artist:
Growing up in an urban commune in 1970s New Orleans, Jessica Goldfinch was exposed to unconventional worldviews from a very early age. From her elementary school years at the countercultural Free School through her graduate studies at the University of New Orleans, Jessica focused on studying world ideologies and creatively incorporating them into her art. Jessica's artistic curiosity has led her to travel to places as diverse as Nicaragua, Indonesia, and central India, and she has frequently incorporated both iconographic elements and an Asian sense of balance in her work. Raised as a Secular Humanist but schooled in many other religions from her upbringing, academic studies, and travels, she is fascinated with blind faith as well as religious artwork from an outsider's perspective. Religious views of mortality infuse her work, and are often framed in scientific depictions of issues of life and death.

Jessica Goldfinch received her MFA in Sculpture, BA in Fine Arts and BA in Sociology from The University of New Orleans. Since 2000, her artwork has been exhibited in over 40 different museums, universities, art centers and galleries in New Orleans, throughout the gulf coast of the United States, Washington, DC, New York and Europe. Throughout her exhibition history, Jessica Goldfinch's artwork has been reviewed extensively in the Times-Picayune, Gambit, and New Orleans Art Review. Her work has also been reviewed regionally in the Mobile Register and Gulf Coast Review, nationally in Art Papers, and internationally in the Osterreich Journal (Austria).

Holy Cards and Other Versions of Mortality’ will be viewable online at www.colabprojects.com beginning September 6, 2009. A forthcoming companion exhibition book with an introductory essay by noted art critic D. Eric Bookhardt will be released on September 15, 2009.