Art and Cake: A Lot of Nothing Adds Up
Idle Lane, Chelsea Dean. Photo credit: Lorraine Heitzman.
November 27, 2019
by Lorraine Heitzman
EXCERPT:
The essence of Dean’s sculptures is rooted in the objects she assembles, the textures and juxtapositions carrying the heavy load of meaning. “Idle Lane” combines found objects that the artist assembles and alters with paint and other materials, bringing new context to these remnants. The skeleton of a discarded upholstered seat is mounted onto the wall to reveal a grid of springs and supports, multiplied by a mirrored surface. Although it gains an elegance from this vantage point, the forlorn aspect of the castaway is never far removed…
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Nothingness is a state of being that while seemingly nonexistent is demonstrably tangible, often poetic, and sometimes ironic. In The Nothing That Is at the Brand Library and Art Center, thoughtfully curated by participating artists Christine Rasmussen and Yaron Dotan, absence and loss are re-imagined in many forms. Under the umbrella of nothingness, melancholic landscapes and mysterious objects of meticulous craftsmanship coexist and are keenly felt. But this is not a minimalist’s idea of nothing; what is missing becomes a vessel for the imagination, provoking the artists and viewers to fill the emptiness with emotions, beauty, and personal visions.
The title of the show is borrowed from a Wallace Stevens poem, The Snow Man that ends with the stanza:
For the listener, who listens in the snow,
And, nothing himself, beholds
Nothing that is not there and the nothing that is.
The poem, transcribed onto the wall as you enter the gallery, introduces the work by fifteen artists, most of whom live in Los Angeles or Northern California. Their aesthetics reflect a greater diversity than their common location, though. These artists create meaning through their materials and found objects, landscapes and interior scenes, figuration and in more conceptual work. The broad and inclusive nature of this show results in a challenging experience in a cohesive exhibition organized around an evocative them.