April 2013

Artists’ Guild of Spartanburg, SC, Features Works by Ralph Pàquin

The Artists’ Guild of Spartanburg will present Genes and Chromosomes, featuring works by Ralph Pàquin, on view in the Guild Gallery at the Chapman Cultural Center in Spartanburg, SC, from Apr. 1 - 27, 2013. A reception will be held on Apr. 5, from 5:30-8pm.

Pàquin is the Department Chair and Professor of Art at Presbyterian College in Clinton, SC. He received his BFA in Sculpture from the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth, and a MFA in Ceramics from Cranbrook Academy of Art. He has lectured and instructed workshop throughout the US, China, and Austria, and his artwork has been shown internationally and in numerous cities in the US such as New York, Detroit, and Washington, DC.

Pàquin states: “It is important to support local arts organizations like the Artists’ Guild and I am delighted to be a part of their 2013 exhibition series.”

In speaking about his artistic path, Pàquin says, “Early on, in my career, I read Jean Tinguely’s Realist Manifesto. This, coupled with inspiring art teachers and collaborating with other artists, profoundly affected my ideas and interests as an artist. To this day, machines, science information, sound/music, and most of all – the human condition – propels my art. Simply put, sculpture and drawing have become my broad genres of choice to communicate.”

Pàquin’s exhibit at the gallery will consist of a balance of sculpture and drawings based around the theme of genes and chromosomes.

Pàquin states, “From the moment of conception, our genes predetermine much of the basic condition of our lives, our future. While this is not new knowledge, it remains fundamental. Genetic research is well underway and the visual language of these genes and chromosomes is prime for creative interpretation.”

Pàquin has been developing pictographs of genes and chromosomes that refer to many human characteristics, including a pinch of mockery. Each shape is the result of hundreds of drawings and models. Selected shapes and forms are now being fabricated into various sized multi-media sculptures and works on paper.

Pàquin says, “It’s important to me that these artworks to appear primordial, humorous, erotic, intelligent, and familiar because each piece maintains a relationship to all of the living organisms of our incredibly amazing planet.”

The Mission of the Artists’ Guild is to nurture, cultivate, and grow the visual arts in our community by supporting local artists.

For further information check our SC Institutional Gallery listings, call Executive Director Robin Els at 864/764-9568 or visit (www.artistsguildofspartanburg.com).

[ | April 2013 | Feature Articles | Download Carolina Arts' Current Issue | Carolina Arts Unleashed | Home | ]