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May Issue 2004
Rabold Gallery in Aiken, SC, Offers International Mosaic Exhibition
Rabold Gallery in Aiken, SC, features an international group exhibit titled Piece Work: Mosaic and Assemblage by Eight Women Artists from May 13 to July 31, 2004. The show features three artists from South Carolina: Janet Kozachek of Orangeburg, Jeri Burdick of Eutawville, and Tracy Weldon of Columbia. Four other artists are from the US including: Val Carroll of FL, Sonia King of TX, Ellen Stern of MI, and Diana Maria Rossi of CA. The exhibit is international with the inclusion of Ilana Shafir, an acclaimed mosaic artist living in Israel. Shafir is scheduled to conduct a workshop on mosaic artwork at The Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston during a May visit to the US.
The mosaic and assemblage exhibit premiered on Apr. 30 as part of the North Charleston Arts Festival 2004 and was billed by the North Charleston Cultural Arts Department as "the first annual international mosaic show" for the event. Held at the Charleston Area Convention Center Complex, the show continues there through May 8 before traveling to Rabold Gallery for the May 13 opening in Aiken.
There is a resurgence of interest in mosaic artwork in the world of contemporary art and South Carolina artists are playing an important role in the revitalization process. Five years ago, Janet Kozachek and Allyson Way Hank founded the Society of American Mosaic Artists in Orangeburg, SC. Kozachek served as the first president of the society, followed by King, also featured in the show. The society now has more than 900 members internationally.
Last year, Kozachek sought to mount a group exhibition in which the artists' visions complemented one another. She selected some of the more influential artists from the society's membership to participate, including relative newcomers and established veterans. Each artist brings a unique talent to the exhibition, lending a measure of education on the art form itself as well as insight on the individuality of the artists. Two of them, Shafir and Carroll, won first place in the first and second national exhibitions sponsored by the society.
Kozachek says that mosaic artists "paint with stones, glass, and metals hard objects with sharp edges." She said that many mosaic artists are women. "Turning the notion of female delicacy on its head, the work of these mosaic artists subverts the historical anonymity and the ephemeral nature of traditional feminine arts," she said. "There is instead a sense of forceful permanence in this art form."
The range of the artists' work stretches the expectations of the viewer and the overall exhibit provides insight on the direction of this age-old art form. Each artist makes a personal contribution to the collective effort.
Jeri Burdick is a purist in that all of the tesserae (or pieces) in her mosaics are handmade, individually created and carved in her studio. Val Carroll creates Zen-like mosaic sculptures that are minimalist evocations of nature and natural forces. Sonia King works in earth tones on deftly crafted assemblages, making mosaics of mud slides, river beds, lunar eclipses, and other natural phenomenon. Kozachek incorporates her extensive education and travel experiences into her recent work in figurative painting and collaged papers.
Diana Maria Rossi uses luminous media to address social inequities and smoldering injustices, shocking with a harsh reality of life. Ilana Shafir builds mosaics with densely juxtaposed shards, rocks, and shells, suggesting vestiges of unearthed civilizations. Ellen Stern produces gemlike mixed media works that capture and recreate psychological vignettes of popular culture and fairy tales. Tracy Weldon deliberately contrasts the ideas of subject and media, creating a tension between beauty, color, and form.
For more information check our SC Commercial Gallery listings, call the gallery at 803/641-4405 or e-mail at (raboldgallery@bellsouth.net).
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