Modicum
curated by Sara Maria SalamoneJanuary 29—March 13, 2021
Yawen Zheng, Eating Fish in Front of Fish, 2017. Digital Inkjet Print, 22 × 11 in.
This exhibition features 10 artists who are joining the newly envisioned Artspace Flatfile program for the year 2021. This exhibition is curated by Sara Maria Salamone of Mrs..
The term modicum denotes a “small quantity of a particular thing, especially something considered desirable or valuable,” according to Google. When considering how this word relates to art and curation; consideration, selection, knowledge, and expertise all come into play. A flat file physically contains a finite amount of flat artworks within it’s metal drawers. There are constrictions and limitations on space: one is required to be selective regarding what is housed inside. It is a microcosm for artworks at a specific scale – generally under twenty-four by twenty inches. With a keen awareness of their mediums, the artists selected to share this structure offer a measure of their greater individual practices.
Employing representational photography, Nate Lerner, David Ottenstein and Yawen Zheng provide a direct view into their worlds while Barbara Wissberger uses the lens to fabricate new spaces and bodies. Yura Adams and Jennifer Davies explore abstraction in nature, finding poetry in rock formation and geologic time. Erin Koch Smith’s drawings evoke a dance of abject bodies: heavily scribbled on legal pads and gently moistened by watercolor, they provide a sketch as a starting point. Using found pellet-gun targets, Barbara Marks simply and joyfully reinterprets these geometric sheets with brightly colored markers obfuscating their original use. Fascinated with the process of painting and the interplay between intention and accident, Jenny Krauss inspires the viewer to free-associate and create meaning within her paintings, which have more in common with simple chemistry experiments than traditional painting techniques. Gerald Saladyga’s collages represent the historical political events and social consequences that define the present day experience.
Installation view of Modicum. Photo by Jessica Smolinski.
Installation view of Modicum. Photo by Jessica Smolinski.
Installation view of Modicum. Photo by Jessica Smolinski.
Installation view of Modicum. Photo by Jessica Smolinski.
Installation view of Modicum. Photo by Jessica Smolinski.
Installation view of Modicum. Photo by Jessica Smolinski.
Installation view of Modicum. Photo by Jessica Smolinski.
Installation view of Modicum. Photo by Jessica Smolinski.
Installation view of Modicum. Photo by Jessica Smolinski.
Installation view of Modicum. Photo by Jessica Smolinski.
Installation view of Modicum. Photo by Jessica Smolinski.
Exhibition Press
Exhibition Artworks
Yura Adams
Yura Adams, Recombinant Five, 2020. Digital print on Hahnemuhle paper, archival ink, 19 × 13 in.
Yura Adams, Recombinant Three, 2020. Digital print on Hahnemuhle paper, archival ink, 19 × 13 in.
Yura Adams, Recombinant One, 2020. Digital print on Hahnemuhle paper, archival ink, 19 × 13 in.
Yura Adams, Recombinant Four, 2020. Digital print on Hahnemuhle paper, archival ink, 19 × 13 in.
Yura Adams, Chicken Rock, 2020. Acrylic, pastel, ink on Tyvek, 14 × 11 in.
Yura Adams, Boulders Polka Then Stop, 2020. Acrylic, pastel, ink on Tyvek, 14 × 11 in.
Yura Adams, Behemoth Transiting Through Water Then Resting, 2020. Acrylic, pastel, ink on Tyvek, 14 × 11 in.
Yura Adams, Expressive Lava Dance Going On, 2020. Acrylic, pastel, ink on tyvek, 14 × 11 in.
Jennifer Davies
Jennifer Davies, Time After Time, 2019. Pigmented handmade paper, thread, image: 12in.h. x9.5”w, frame:18”h × 16”w.
Jennifer Davies, Shelf Fungi, 2019. Pigment on cast paper pulp, dimensions variable.
Jennifer Davies, Pentimento, 2017. Pigment, tea bags, fabric, thread, handmade paper, image: 9”h. × 12”w,frame: 17” × 20”.
Jennifer Davies, Notation, 2015. Pigment and pastel on handmade paper, 16”h. × 14”w. × 1”d.
Jennifer Davies, Light Disposition, 2020. Pigment on cast paper pulp, 27”h. × 22”w.x 3”d.
Jennifer Davies, Drumlin, 2017. Pigmented handmade paper, 32”h. × 19”w.
Jennifer Davies, Dark Disposition, 2020. Pigment on cast paper pulp, 26”h. × 16”w. × 3″d.
Jennifer Davies, Cast Rocks, 2016. Pigment on cast paper pulp, 26”h. × 29”w. × 5”d.
Erin Koch Smith
Erin Koch Smith, Tree Frog 33, 2020. Ballpoint pen and marker on archival legal paper, 8.3 × 12.5 in (11 × 14 in framed).
Erin Koch Smith, Tree Frog 50, 2020. Ballpoint pen and marker on archival legal paper, 8.3 × 12.5 in (11 × 14 in framed).
Erin Koch Smith, Tree Frog 30, 2020. Ballpoint pen and marker on archival legal paper, 8.3 × 12.5 in (11 × 14 in framed).
Erin Koch Smith, Tree Frog 18, 2020. Ballpoint pen and marker on archival legal paper, 8.3 × 12.5 in (11 × 14 in framed).
Erin Koch Smith, Tree Frog 17, 2020. Ballpoint pen and marker on archival legal paper, 12.5 × 8.3 in (14 × 11 in framed).
Erin Koch Smith, Tree Frog 16, 2020. Ballpoint pen and marker on archival legal paper, 12.5 × 8.3 in (14 × 11 in framed).
Erin Koch Smith, Tree Frog 12, 2020. Ballpoint pen and marker on archival legal paper, 8.3 × 12.5 in (11 × 14 in framed).
Erin Koch Smith, Tree Frog 10, 2020. Ballpoint pen and marker on archival legal paper, 8.3 × 12.5 in (11 × 14 in framed).
Jenny Krauss
Jenny Krauss, Territory, 2020. Gouache, 24 × 36 in.
Jenny Krauss, Splitting, 2020. Gouache, 18 × 24 in.
Jenny Krauss, Prophas, 2020. Gouache, 18 × 24 in.
Jenny Krauss, Melt, 2020. Gouache, 18 × 24 in.
Jenny Krauss, Floating, 2020. Gouache, 18 × 24 in.
Jenny Krauss, Cascade, 2020. Gouache, 24 × 36 in.
Jenny Krauss, Budding, 2020. Gouache, 18 × 24 in.
Jenny Krauss, Attraction, 2020. Gouache, 18 × 24 in.
Nate Lerner
Nate Lerner, Untitled, 2020. Archival inkjet print, 19″ × 13″.
Nate Lerner, CORN (not corn), 2020. Gelatin silver print, 14 × 11 in.
Nate Lerner, After W. H. Fox Talbot, 2, 2020. Gelatin silver print, 20 x16 in.
Nate Lerner, After W. H. Fox Talbot, 1, 2020. Gelatin silver print, 20 × 16 in.
Nate Lerner, Wood, 2020. 4”x5” gelatin silver contact print on plywood board, 8 × 10 in.
Nate Lerner, Untitled, 2019. Archival inkjet print, 13 × 19 in.
Nate Lerner, Untitled, 2020. Archival inkjet print, 13 × 19 in.
Nate Lerner, Untitled, 2020. Archival inkjet print, 13 × 19 in.
Barbara Marks
Barbara Marks, Target Practice XIII, 2019. Indian ink on found paper, 6.75 × 6.75 in.
Barbara Marks, Target Practice XXVI, 2019. Indian ink on found paper, 6.75 × 6.75 in.
Barbara Marks, Target Practice XXI, 2019.Indian ink on found paper, 6.75 × 6.75 in.
Barbara Marks, Target Practice XVI, 2019. Indian ink on found paper, 6.75 × 6.75 in.
Barbara Marks, Target Practice XIV, 2019. Indian ink on found paper, 6.75 × 6.75 in.
Barbara Marks, Target Practice VIII, 2019. Indian ink on found paper, 6.75 × 6.75 in.
Barbara Marks, Target Practice VI, 2019. Indian ink on found paper, 6.75 × 6.75 in.
Barbara Marks, Target Practice I, 2019.Indian ink on found paper, 6.75 × 6.75 in.
David Ottenstein
David Ottenstein, Barber Shop, Tyndall, South Dakota, 2019. Archival pigment ink print, edition 1/10, 24″ × 30″.
David Ottenstein, Red, Mankota, Saskatchewan, 2019. Archival pigment ink print, ed 1/10, 24 × 30 in.
David Ottenstein, Pip’s Diner, Saco, Montana, 2019. Archival pigment ink print, ed 3/20, 16 × 20 in.
David Ottenstein, Community Hall, Cody, Nebraska, 2018. Archival pigment ink print, ed 1/20, 16 × 20 in.
David Ottenstein, Elm and 2nd, Lusk, Wyoming, 2018. Archival pigment ink print, ed 1/10, 24 × 30 in.
David Ottenstein, Eat, Beach, North Dakota, 2019. Archival pigment ink print, ed 1/10, 24 × 30 in.
David Ottenstein, Unloading Grain, Cedar County, Nebraska, 2019. Archival pigment ink print, ed 1/10, 24 × 30 in.
David Ottenstein, Stucco House, SW of Milk River, 2019. Archival pigment ink print, ed 1/10, 24 × 30 in.
David Ottenstein, Wandering, Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah, 2018. Archival pigment ink print, ed 1/20, 16 × 20 in.
David Ottenstein, Pumpjack, Alberta, 2019. Archival pigment ink print, ed 1/10, 24 × 30 in.
Gerald Saladyga
Gerald Saladyga, Deconstructing the Universe Piece by Piece, 2016. Mixed Media/Paper.
Gerald Saladyga, Rome: The Center of the Universe, 2016. Mixed Media/Paper.
Gerald Saladyga, Homage to “Tatlin’s Monument to the Third International” – 1920, 2017. Mixed Media/Paper.
Gerald Saladyga, Locating the Center of the Universe. Mixed Media/Paper.
Barbara Weissberger
Barbara Weissberger, More Fragile But More Enduring, 2019. Archival pigment print, ed. of 3, 30” × 20”.
BarbaraWeissberger, Adoration, 2019. archival pigment print, ed. of 3, 30” × 20”.
Yawen Zheng
Yawen Zheng, Eating Fish in Front of Fish, 2017. Digital Inkjet Print, 22 × 11 in.
Yawen Zheng, Eating Fish in Front of Fish II, 2017. Digital Inkjet Print, 14 × 22 in.
Yawen Zheng, Human Intervention, 2018. Digital Inkjet Print, 22 × 14 in.
Interviews with Modicum Artists
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