2/1/2013
Christine Gray
Rare, New York
On Entry: new paintings and works on paper. She explores the slow histories and quasi-permanence of rune stones, etched bark, meteorites, stone walls and circles, and other archaic artifacts and monuments.
RARE Gallery is pleased to present On Entry, Christine Gray's second solo exhibition at the gallery. Comprised of new paintings and works on paper, the show runs from January 3 through February 7, with an opening night reception on Thursday, January 10.
While traversing the hinterlands of France, Iceland, Scotland, and Spain, Gray drew inspiration from the recumbent stone circles and ancient architecture of early civilizations that punctuate the countryside. Contemplating whether these sites possess a resonance of spiritual significance or are merely historic ruins, she explores the slow histories and quasi-permanence of rune stones, etched bark, meteorites, stone walls and circles, and other archaic artifacts and monuments.
Seeming both banal and significant, rocks and their ilk are built up and whittled down over centuries, while meteorites have spent that much time traveling before coming to rest on Earth. Yet they represent a human fascination with some of the most spectacular examples of natural forms. In revealing the Widmanstätten patterns in cross-sections of meteorites or the shifting color spectrums and ideal geometries of rock interiors, Gray's work highlights the mathematical beauty of nature while meditating on the grand scale of time and our brief existence in the universe.
Whether posited as geological specimens or entities of ritual significance, Gray's objects and her interpretation of their utilization convey the mystique of encoded information with which time and travel have marked them. They are imbued with awe-inspiring, supernatural powers. On Entry captures the critical moment when these entities enter our world of objects and ideas, and addresses the belief that they may act as a conduit between us and a reality beyond our understanding.
Recent exhibitions by the artist include Conventional Wisdom, Delicious Spectacle, Washington, DC; Internal Intricacies, Capitol One West Creek Town Center, Richmond, VA; and Secret Place, Hiestand Galleries, Miami University, Oxford, OH. Upcoming shows in 2013 include In Case We Don't Die, Torrance Art Museum, Torrance, CA (March); Beyond Vision: Messages from the Holographic Universe, Salisbury University Art Galleries, Salisbury, MD (March); and Project 4 Gallery, Washington, DC (solo). Christine Gray currently lives and works in Alexandria, Virginia, and teaches at Virginia Commonwealth University.
RARE Gallery
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