BE THERE
Coyote Taught Me To StealPresented by Claire Oliver January 19, 2007- February 10, 2007Reception: January 18, 6:00 pm - 8:00 pmErika Wanenmacher
In this, the artist’s first solo exhibition in New York, Wanenmacher harnesses and expounds upon both the metaphorical nature of the objects she creates and the many layers of symbolism they have inherited through man’s interaction with them. "Plants and animals have helped me by imparting information that enriches my artistic practice. As I consider each piece I make to be a spell, all of the works in this show have an invocation to share important information with the larger world", says Wanenmacher. An example of her philosophy, the carved wood and shed python skin sculpture "Shining Path", takes the form of a snake relating directly to the Tree of Life as practiced in Qabalah. As represented in ancient Buddhism, the Tree of Life is an integral part along humanity’s path to enlightenment. At each curve of the snakes body a hatch door opens to reveal a silver amulet and a miniature painting that offer the viewer insight to successive stages in the development of human consciousness. Wanenmacher's use of found objects and associative layering begins in a form comparable to Robert Rauschenberg's "Combines". By further manifesting Surrealist and Dadaesque practices, the artist forms multiple visual and contextual relationships within each work. These processes are reminiscent of the ideas disseminated among the artists of the Black Mountain College through the teachings of Josef Albers. Through a seamless fusing of paradoxes, the artist works in constant exchange between chance and cognitive Symbolism. These enchanting works draw the viewer into a non-linear narrative in which one can explore the force and relevancy of our collective ancestry. The artist’s work has been discussed and reviewed in ARTFORUM, ArtNews, and Sculpture Magazine. Erika Wanenmacher has works in the public collections at Fisher Landau Center, Long Island, NY; Museum of Albuquerque, NM; Museum of Fine Arts, Santa Fe, NM, and has exhibited at Linda Durham Contemporary Art, Galisteo, NM; Harwood Art Center, Albuquerque, NM; and George Adams Gallery, New York, NY.
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