Living Things

May 31 - July 20,2024

From Arts Fort Worth:

"Living Things is a slow contemplation of living bodies and their surfaces through the lens of five artists: Liz Markum, Erika Jaeggli, Emily Potts, Rachel Henson, and curator Maria Haag.

In each artist’s work, a living organism forms a nucleus, around which the slow accumulation of layers creates a rich surface structure. Water, the womb of life, serves as the nexus of transformation for each work. Animal bones stretch into shards of glacial glass; mold and bacteria grow and dry into desiccated skin. Mental stressors drip into an overwhelming physical patchwork. Stalagmites and stalactites accumulate new waxy layers like a second skin. A mass of hair on the rock-strewn ground, dappled by raindrop reflections and road lights, expands and contracts in slow breaths.

About the Artists:

• Maria Haag: Through her mixed media works, Haag captures bodies in the midst of transformation, hovering between decay and renewal. Using paper, charcoal, paint, and collage, she creates fragile, layered surfaces that reflect physical and spiritual transitions. Her work draws from a rich tapestry of characters and spaces, revealing new stories and possibilities beneath the ordinary.
• Rachael Henson: Henson's transdisciplinary approach merges performance, sculpture, and photography to explore ephemerality and identity. Incorporating materials such as glass, agar, silicone, and biological matter, she creates chimeric artworks that engage the senses and evoke complex emotional responses. Her "edible" photos and bacteria-nourishing substrates challenge the viewer's perception of art and the natural world.
• Emily Potts: Potts' work delves into the relationship between the brain, mind, and body, highlighting the ongoing, imperfect nature of healing. Using a variety of materials, from ceramics to unconventional substances like bubble gum, she simulates nonfunctional body systems that reflect the struggle and disruption of internal pressures. Her art emphasizes the beauty of discomfort and the continuous journey of healing.
• Erika Jaeggli: Jaeggli's paintings and installations engage with the sensate, porous nature of bodies. Using raw pigments, found objects, and natural elements, she creates surfaces that bear the marks of time and space. Her research-driven process draws from internal and external imagery, from ultrasound scans to microscopic views, bridging the micro and macro to explore our interdependency with the environment.
• Liz Markum: Markum's intentional materiality and layered structures turn the remains of creatures into relics and fossils, evoking a sense of wonder and introspection. Using materials like glass, porcelain, iron, and bronze, she captures the essence of creatures both small and large. Her work, displayed with dramatic lighting and mirrored structures, creates contemporary reliquaries that invite viewers to reconsider their relationship with the natural world."

Reception: June 07, 2024 | 6-9 pm

Arts Fort Worth 1300 Gendy Street
Fort Worth, Texas 76107
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