Russell Crotty
dal 7/4/2005 al 27/5/2005
Segnalato da
7/4/2005
Russell Crotty
La Criee Centre for Contemporary Art, Rennes
Attracted by drawing and astronomy for a long time, the artist combines in his works these both practices through large handmade books and sculptures. His compositions mix earthly, maritime and celestial landscapes. They arise from a process stuck to both the idea of 'disegno' from Renaissance and to empiric positions of the nineteenth century astronomers.
La Criée centre d'art contemporain from Rennes presents the Californian artist Russell Crotty
Graduated from the San Francisco Art Institute and the University of California, Irvine, Russell Crotty, born in 1956, lives by now on a hilltop in Santa Monica mountains in Malibu. He built there an observatory overlooking the Pacific Ocean and the city of Los Angeles. Attracted by drawing and astronomy for a long time, Russell Crotty combines in his works these both practices through large handmade books and sculptures. His compositions mix earthly, maritime and celestial landscapes. They arise from a process stuck to both the idea of "disegno"1 from Renaissance and to empiric positions of the nineteenth century astronomers. Moreover their feature lies in the current and strange use of the ballpoint pen, what distinguishes the express of his gesture. By night in Malibu, while he stares at heavenly bodies and their movements, he scribbles many drawings and notes down. As soon as all is gathered, he re-creates, according to circumstances and moods, unique and sensitive scenery, which show an original memory and feeling.
Russell Crotty explores several practices examining scale and density concepts. In his books, he creates the layout named FOV ("a field of view") that conveys the boundary lines of the eyepiece of telescope through circular drawings. He also opts for higher scale creations, some kind of broad pans, which represent a map of the Moon or the relief of a hill. This research goes on in 2000 with a work on volumes. On paper-covered globes, in fibreglass and of various sizes, Russell Crotty shapes as many stars or meteorites showers as abstracts worlds. Suspended from the ceiling, these spheres mould a scale model of a galaxy. Russell Crotty interprets in a condensed way an universal energy, always renewed, source of life and chaos. The drawer also uses writing. The descriptive and allusive texts, in his books and globes, operate as "bad poetry", playing on both graphic and meaningful properties of words. They layer with the drawings like visual poems or prose, pointing out for instance our bonds with nature.
Through his installations, Russell Crotty seems to stand out from some artists of the American West coast who deal with social and political anxieties. He prefers the quiet observation of glowing spaces without borders than the noisy bustle of megalopolis. This experience allows him to release his whole imagination, in order to build up a phantasmagorical world. For his first exhibition in France, Russell Crotty will present at La Criée a series of large books and framed drawings. Seven spheres of various sizes will be suspended at eye level too. Upon this exhibition, La Criée contributes to the production of two new spheres, and in association with the Galerie Suzanne Tarasiève from Paris to the edition of a catalogue.
1. "disegno" corresponds to the Italian translation of drawing. It refers to the virtuosity of artists from the Renaissance, as a metaphysical method of invention exceeding the beauty of nature, in order to get the work of mind first.
Image: Russell Crotty, Summer Triangle over Chumash Wilderness, 2003.
Exhibition realised with contribution of the Galerie Suzanne Tarasiève - Paris and the CRG Gallery - New York
Co-production of a catalogue with the Galerie Suzanne Tarasiève from Paris (June 2005)
Opening: on Friday April 8th 2005 from 6 pm
Meeting with Russell Crotty on Saturday April 9th 2005 from 4 pm at La Criée - Halles Centrales
Un Samedi en ville on May 21st 2005 from 2 pm
Le Grand Cordel – La Criée centre d'art contemporain – Le Triangle
La Criee centre d'art contemporain
Place Honore Commeurec – Halles Centrales
35 000 RENNES
FRANCE
Free entry
Opened from Tuesday to Friday from midday to 7 pm - on Saturday and Sunday from 2 pm to 7 pm