TAKE 2

Curated by Emily Burns and studio e gallery in collaboration with The Alice
On view January 27—February 04 2017

FEATURED ARTISTS:
Caroline Wells Chandler / Emily Burns / Kyla Hansen / Paul Komada / Caroline Larsen / Karen Lederer / Emily Silver / Whiting Tennis

CURATORIAL STATEMENT

Take 2 features work in a range of media from Caroline Wells Chandler, Emily Burns, Kyla Hansen, Caroline Larsen, Karen Lederer, Emily Silver and Seattle-based artists Paul Komada and Whiting Tennis.  In conversation with one another, these works address craft, kitsch, and the politics of object-making.

The textile arts, including materials and methods often associated with craft and women’s work, appear in myriad ways in the works of contemporary artists. Historically, these skills have been implicated in the conception of femininity, leaving their methods ripe for exploration and subversion. Take 2 incorporates stitching, quilting, crochet, and knitting in conversation with painting and prints that make distinct references to textiles and needlework. The physicality and tactility of the surfaces of the works—guided by the materials and processes involved in their creation—offer a uniquely visual experience of surfaces that desire to be touched and held, replicating the tactile attraction of their utilitarian predecessors.

A vibrant palette is a shared characteristic of the works in Take 2, with the liberal use of vibrant hot pink, fluorescent yellow and Cheeto orange. Rebellious and playfully humorous, the works investigate gender and constructions of domesticity, and offer outlets for engineering craft and fiber arts with 21st century methods.