August 2009

underGROUND

Carol Schwennesen and Beverly Naidus

VALISE Gallery is proud to introduce the community to recent work by the artists, Carol Schwennesen and Beverly Naidus in a two-person exhibition they have entitled “underGROUND.”

Carol Schwennesen says that her new paintings “are documents of integrating Self and spirit with matter. They are inspired by non-determinist modern physics: uncertainty, relativity, probability, and influence of the observer (subjectivity) determine the outcome of decisions whether they be in paint, biology, cooking or martial arts.”  The unseen is what intrigues this artist, and her creative process is guided by the excitement of conjuring up imagery that she has not encountered before. Carol's artwork lives throughout the United States, and from Europe to Japan.  Click here to visit Carol’s website.

Beverly Naidus approached her new body of work like a contact improvisation dancer, moving from her tiny studio space into the adjoining woods, trails and garden, scavenging weight, form and texture within her local environment, combining with them with fragments of stories.  “The tactility of found materials and a constant shifting of weight were necessary to deal with what were often challenging sources of inspiration:  the things that are underground, under the radar, most easily avoided, but need attention.”  The results of this improvisation are a series of wall hangings and sculptural works addressing the history of nuclear weapons on the island, local toxins underground, and a reconstructive vision of the world, where gardens heal and transform the muck swept under the rug for so many years.  

Beverly Naidus teaches interdisciplinary arts at University of Washington, Tacoma and exhibits her work internationally. She is the author of the recently released, Arts for Change: Teaching Outside the Frame (New Village Press, 2009). Click here to visit Beverly’s website.

“underGROUND” was on display from August 7-29, every Saturday from noon til 5 pm, or by appointment.

 

Contact: Jiji Saunders 206/463-4165