Emerging Artists Show
Group Show
MiKayla Gattuccio, Phebe Miller and Darcie Leighty
August 4 – 29, 2009 | Artist’s Reception: Wednesday, August 5th, 5-7 pm
The Mary Lou Zeek Gallery is pleased to announce the Emerging Artists Show, featuring new works by Darcie Leighty, MiKayla Gattuccio and Phebe Miller. The show presents a unique assembly of paintings, ceramics, photographs and mixed media works exploring emotional remembrance, recontextualization, and one’s ability to control, or lose control of existence.
“I am constantly cataloging and tucking away images into my mind. When I reach back to incorporate them into a painting, the details have become less important to me, resulting in an emotional remembrance of the images rather than a technical one,” Darcie Leighty stated. “It is this ‘emotional remembrance’ of bold colors and expressive line encapsulated within a familiar image, that I am compelled to share.” Leighty refers to the beginning of her paintings as a “dreamy sort of business.” She delves into her visual memory and explores the shapes and values which become core elements and strengths within her pieces.
Like Leighty, MiKayla Gattuccio is examining, and questioning the role of memory. Her concentration in traditional and alternative photographic processes has lead her to focus on the recontexulaization of discarded vintage photographs and postcards, granting them a new function in contemporary life. “My eyes follow the shapes and designs of each individual’s handwriting, noting the pen colors, pressures, and styles. I begin to see the writings as fingerprints, none two the same, marking an identity,” Gattuccio stated. “I see the emotions of people’s faces and bodies, the depth, happiness, and sadness expressed through film. Why would one discard or sell these invaluable memories? They engage something inside of me and trigger a creative presence that I cannot ignore.”
Along with these works are the ceramic pieces of Phebe Miller, exploring the boundaries between the approachable cuteness of miniaturization and the potentially distressing reality of robots. “At what point does the mechanical become menacing?” Miller asks. “Where do we draw the line? Is there need for a line to be drawn, or do we continue to evolve along with our creations?” Miller investigates the potentials for disaster within a radically mechanical society. She uses the robot as an empathetic humanoid figure to express her thoughts on production, culture and identity. “As robots are increasingly insinuated into everyday life, we are gradually losing control of our existence,” Miller stated.
Emerging Artists Show
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