The Laconia Gallery presents Overflow, showcasing the work of three Somerville
artists, Resa Blatman, Sara Hairdston-Medice, and Mary O'Malley, who explore
the sublime in the art of wildness and excess. Overflow marks the first group exhibition
curated by Resa Blatman.
Opening reception: Friday, October 3rd, 2008, 5:30-8PM
Laconia Gallery, 433 Harrison Avenue, Boston, MA 02118
(The exhibit runs from October 3rd to November 22nd, 2008.)
Attached is the postcard for Overflow, and below are a few words about the artists and the theme of the show.
(Mary O'Malley's painstakingly beautiful drawings are also on exhibit at the DeCordova Museum in the current exhibit Drawn to Detail through January 2009.)
Resa, Sara, and Mary look forward to seeing their fellow Somerville artists, neighbors, and friends at the opening on October 3rd!!!
In Overflow, artists Sara Hairston-Medice, Mary O'Malley, and Resa Blatman investigate the essence of
beauty and nature. Through the use of knitted sculpture, Hairston-Medice produces a complex group of yarn
"paintings" and sculptures. Form grows on form in a seemingly meiotic process. Hanging lace and swirling
interwoven shapes allude to reproductive organs, the decorative, and oceanic imagery. The work is overly
feminine and out of control—colorful and intensive displays. The tropes of her chosen mediums (yarn,
thread, fabric, etc.) are an integral part of Hairston-Medice's inspiration, and she transforms these traditional
media from their utilitarian roots into images and objects altogether stranger and more complex. O'Malley
creates highly detailed drawings that suggest micro/macro studies of nature. The tightly rendered forms and
lines are ambiguous; they are tangled together in a process of evolving and multiplying. They exist somewhere
between the wild irrationality of nature and the rigorous order of mechanized patterns. These landscapes hold
a tension between the seen and unseen and between fantasy and reality, creating a topography that is vast,
ephemeral, and ever growing. Blatman's paintings play with the contradictions of lush versus barren and
rapture versus displeasure. Her lavishly painted flora, fauna, berries, birds, and bats seduce the viewer with
a bounty of feminine ripeness and sensuality. Life abounds in these beautified worlds, yet the ornamental
invasive patterns creep into the juicy environments of the birds, and, along with the heaps and mounds
of eggs, they create a picture of fecundity with undertones of wanting and dismay.
In a time of mass-production and ultra-consumption, Resa Blatman takes great satisfaction in curating a
group exhibition that is work-intensive and emotionally engaging. These three artists find their inspiration
in the 18th century, when decoration, beauty, and appreciation of nature were highlights in art and interior
design. Overflow is not a show about casual or haphazard art-making where concept takes precedence over
execution. Instead, the work in this show combines the intensity and mystery of an otherworldly allure. While
these artists are aware that beauty and decoration are often marginalized in contemporary art, they do not
cave in to the nay-sayers. Instead they relish the opportunity to create dizzying moments of loveliness which
are still tinged with dark undertones. Their work asks the viewer to linger—to savor—the tiny, yet sumptuous
details, elegant lines, and intentional marks within each piece. In our fast-paced culture, hand-made, patiently
rendered work has become a rarity. In Overflow more is more—the work on exhibit celebrates all that is lush
and wild—but this bold approach is informed by the meticulous formal skills of all three artists. Painstakingly
rendered, the sculptures, drawings, and paintings move beyond a surface aesthetic to create a profound and
disturbing beauty.
