The idea that “less is more” underlies the exhibition of SAND T: New Works, currently on display at the Student Union Art Gallery.
“The primary intention of this body of work is to create a simple visual experience with the basic elements of dot, line, color, surface and light,” artist Sand T said in a statement.
The pieces in the show consist of carefully drawn lines in graphite, paint on archival tempered clayboard and acrylic glass sheets overlaid with clear, chunky epoxy resin layers and resin drops.
“The physicality of “drawing the lines” and “dropping the dots” underlines the artist’s fixation with chaos; the keen desire to bring order within the structural grid,” her statement reads.
Sand T explains, “I hope viewers see the beauty of simplicity I attempt to communicate through my artwork, which deals with repetition, iteration, geometric abstraction, monochrome or limited color and light.”
Though a sense of cleanliness and structure dominate the works there is a luminosity and tactile quality about the thick hard resin drops that contributes a juicy texture to the pieces.
Though the works rely heavily on geometric forms and vaguely architectural elements, they avoid projecting any kind of rigidity. In fact, the epoxy resin layers have a hard candy-like quality to them, appearing as though they may melt in the viewer’s hands, or dribble down the wall come summertime.
“I loved the ‘frozen’ clear and organic characteristic of the resin dripping off the edges of the acrylic glass sheets of my work,” she explains.
Her experimentation with resin in past works and fascination with the medium led her to take on a more minimalist approach in her recent art that is currently on display.
“It gave me new ideas that I should bring the dazzling resin ‘drips’ to the surface of my work and get rid of unnecessary detail,” she said.
At the same time, there is a feeling of hardness to the pieces that extends beyond the medium itself. The artist uses strong colors including aqua, onyx black, noire, navajo white and clear. The boldness of color and strictness of form in the pieces, “suggest time, concentration, and energies of motion possessing meditative qualities,” she writes. In this vein, some works are imbued with a mystical feeling as shiny reflections of sunlight glint off the resin drops.
In addition to her own art practice, Sand T has worked to cultivate a vibrant arts community in
“The primary goal I set for artSPACE@16 was to provide a space for innovative contemporary art in
Upon reflection, she likens her gallery work to philanthropy drawing on her infinite desire to give to the art community of
“I‘m a walking billboard for the local arts scene,” she wrote.
Last May, she closed the gallery doors to focus more heavily on the production of her own art work. But, the artSPACEat16.com continues to function as a news bulletin for upcoming local arts events and as an electronic archive of past shows.
In conjunction with her exhibition of new works on display at the Student Union Art Gallery, the gallery will host an artist talk where Sand T will discuss her experience in the gallery business and her own artistic practice.
SAND T: New Works will be on view in the
Caroline Scannell can be reached at ccscanne@student.umass.edu.
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