(Malden, Massachusetts - December 16, 2006) - - FOUR COMPOSITIONS, artSPACE@16’s 37th exhibit, is composed of four local artists. Abstractions in Metal, assembled metal sculptures by Stephen deFilippis; Minor Erections, a photography series by Wesley Kalloch; An Expedition to Benin, West Africa, a photo documentary series by Paul J. Sieswerda; and Upper Story, illuminated sculptures by Sand T. Exhibition opens for viewing on pre-scheduled Thursday evenings and by appointment only from December 16, 2006 thru Feb 17, 2007.
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-->: chevron, Assembled Metal Sculpture by Stephen deFilippis, 51 x 76 in
Malden native Stephen deFilippis presents three assembled metal sculptures in FOUR COMPOSITIONS. deFilippis is a sculptor who has chosen to work in contemporary metal abstractions over the past decade. deFilippis, who is also the owner of Urban Auto Body in Lynn, amasses left over strips of scrap metal in his shop, which later find new life in deFilippis’ sculptural work. He assembles the metal pieces, welding them together to align with a larger composition, and finishes them with touches of dramatic paint drips.
deFilippis concentrates his energy in exploring the relationships between form, surfaces, materials and space, and confronting the contemporary esthetic values in his complex steel sculptures through unyielding effort. deFilippis says, “I enjoy very much the physicality of working with these materials in a possessed repetitive way of piecing them together.” Time consuming and labor intensive, his work suggests the energies of obsessive, motion and crystallization of ideas that are continual in his assembled metal works.
Image: Minor Erections 1, photo by Wesley Kalloch
Wesley Kalloch shows his latest photography series entitled Minor Erections. This photograph series demonstrates his current interest in buildings in construction phase. The remarkable images are of the skeletal support structures erected for a building to become a building. They were taken at various construction sites in nearby towns.
“I can only tell you that I have a strong affinity to the geometry and physical strength of the materials. I also have some romantic ideal concerning the temporary visuals represented by these structures,” says Kalloch, who has been a Malden resident for eight years.
Kalloch’s aim is to get the viewer to examine the detail of the assemblages and to get lost in the repetition of the squares and rectangles created by the mighty construction materials. A secondary aspect to these photographs is their temporal quality; the pristine geometry of the framework soon to be hidden forever under a skin of glass, concrete and bricks.
Image: Upper Story, illuminated sculpture by Sand T
Sand T displays six illuminated sculptures, a component of Upper Story, the umbrella title of her ongoing work series which include mixed media collage works. The main structure of these illuminated sculptures is constructed with layers of semi transparent plexi panels, light fixtures and wood.
Sand T integrates elements she has been accumulating in the fullness of time such as sketches, computer generated images, journal excerpts, and trilingual text into her work. These elements are collaged between layers of plexi panels with resin, refined with hand written notes, touches of graphite, markers and multiple sanding when dry.
“My work deals with the continuously evolving conditions of an “Inherent Self’ in a multi-cultural setting,” Sand T says, “I’m particularly interested in looking into the substance of transformation, implicating the ever-evolving and changing path of our life journey and new creations, and interpretations which signify our use of words and images to translate and communicate our thoughts to others.
Image: An Expedition to Benin, West Africa, photo by Paul J. Sieswerda
A Malden native of three generations, Paul J. Sieswerda is a photographer with a Global Palette. The images Sieswerda shows in FOUR COMPOSITIONS are taken from a month long expedition to Benin, West Africa with his father who was engaged in the International Partnership Among Museums for the Wildlife Conservation Society.
Benin is the birthplace of voodoo and was the key disembarkation point for the slave trade to all of the Americas. A special spotlight has been given to Ganvie, a village built in the middle of Lake Lacame, where the founding King said, “Our enemies cannot swim, we will be safe here”. Sometimes called the Venice of Africa, the houses of Ganvie stand on stilts and all of commerce and daily life is conducted by boat.
This photo documentary series depicts the daily life of contemporary Africa - with the abrupt clash of the primitive against the rush of the 21st century, in dugout canoes, or in teaming market places, the citizens of Benin struggle to meet the next day. While the images evoke the exotic, Sieswerda has successfully captured the people, especially the children, in the simplest settings with an honest style and hopeful eye.
In the show, an image of a young girl selling peanuts from a tray balanced on her head was a prize-winning photo. Other images from West Africa have been published in Wildlife Conservation Magazine. “I like the idea of bringing a piece of the world home with me, without touching a thing,” Sieswerda said.
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SLIDESHOW: Thursday in Malden: All about Art
Art In Malden By Amanda Mantone
Staff Photos by Nicole Goodhue Boyd
Malden Observer's website, Tuesday, January 23, 2007
This exhibition is supported in part by the LEF Foundation’s Contemporary Work Fund. It also received in-kind support from the Artists Foundation and the artist-volunteers of artSPACE@16. For more information please visit ............
