ARDEN + WHITE GALLERY presents The Sublime, a two-person exhibition with Cleveland, OH-based artist Laura Naples and Pound Ridge, NY-based sculptor Re Jin Lee. Together the artist’s works coalesce transcending the viewer into an ethereal sanctuary, simultaneously enveloped by gentle geometric forms emerging from both mediums.
Laura’s geometric abstractions use liquified acrylic paint to form tonal layers that evoke a feeling of movement and form. In harmony with Laura’s work, Re Jin Lee’s yet-to-be-seen wall sculptures and coveted ceramic table alongside her latest collection of raku and smoked finishes depict art form, object, and function.
The Sublime opening night will be held June 9th from 5 - 8pm.
LAURA NAPLES artist statement
“This collection tells the story of the energetic flow between spaces and beings. Created over the span of about a year, these paintings capture my curiosity through experiments with the motion of diluted acrylic paint. Each painting offers a window into rituals of connection. Each piece evolved with questions and intentional responses. The works were chosen for the collection as a conversation to complement and challenge one another.
All of my work is about what I love, and about the practice of loving. It is a distillation of inspiration from the natural world and things shaped by human hands. I love to explore the relationships that reveal the beauty within and among objects. As an artist, I collect elements that make me pause and wonder. The captivating color and texture of minerals, the form of flora and architecture, or the gestural lines of a dancer may become the catalyst for a painting.
In the studio, I experiment with these arresting influences as I search for the spark of new work. Subsequent layers are arranged in both intentional and spontaneous formation, reflecting the control and surrender that balance my own relational experiences. I alternately pour and brush the paint onto the canvas, guiding its flow by tilting the canvas in different directions, or pausing to let it pool and dry on its own. At intervals, I ask myself: “Does this feel true?” If the answer is yes, it belongs. When a circumstance during the process veers outside of my initial intentions, I step back to find a serendipitous moment to reimagine and realign the elements.
As I make connections through trial and play, I generate the same feeling of love that initially drew my attention toward the elements that inspired it. I know a work is complete when I see it with loving eyes. I hope that the viewer may be empowered to apply their own lens and experiences to feel this imbued love through a sense of solace, peace, and balance in their encounter.”
RE JIN LEE
Re Jin Lee’s latest works present a trio of contemplative forms - from standing objects, and wall sculptures, to functional forms. Through process and continued experimentation, Re Jin Lee’s sculptures span from meditative white forms of geometric shapes to abstract free forms with divergent finishing processes personifying the change and transformation in her artistry. As she continues to push beyond limits with scale and functional forms, we proudly present her twisted table in the latest exhibition alongside table and wall sculptures.
Constructed entirely by hand using ancient coil and slab techniques all of Re Jin Lee’s work is grounded in this approach. Beyond the inspired construction, the work is transformed by the secondary applications to finish the work. In this debut show for her wall sculptures, Re Jin uses a number of techniques on the sculptures including her recognizable slip and burnished finishes, alongside Raku process.
The new collection of raku finished works explores a daring and unpredictable ancient Japanese technique. Pieces are prepared with glazes special to the raku process. Instead of a controlled, electric kiln, raku requires a fuel-burning kiln - a much faster heating using fire. Pulled from the kiln red-hot, pieces are quickly placed in combustible materials which burst into flames upon contact. It is then smothered with a container to deprive the setup of oxygen, and immediately cooled down. A number of variations in this process of fire, quick temperature change, and oxygen deprivation lead to endless variations in colors and surface effects. Results can never be repeated; each piece is truly an original. Working in raku requires speed, intuition, collaboration with all four elements, and trust in the natural process. The rewarding results are something close to magic.
Born and raised in Sao Paolo, Brazil to South Korean parents, her work emerges from a synthesis of inspirations ranging from Brazilian architecture, Korean traditional arts, and the temporality and simplicity of the natural surroundings in Pound Ridge, NY, where she lives and works.
