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May Issue 2008
Beet Contemporary in Charlotte, NC,
Offers Works by Susan Sorrell
Beet
Contemporary Craft & Functional Art in Charlotte, NC, is presenting
the exhibit, Eye Candy, featuring the fiber/mixed media
artwork of South Carolina artist Susan Sorrell, on view from May
2 - 31, 2008.
When viewing Sorrell's artwork there should be a sign: Beware, heavily embellished decorative work ahead, as her work is bright, colorful, creative, fun and over embellished. For Sorrell it is not the clean paired back message of Modernism or even the hodgepodge of overly pretentious imagery that we now see as Post-Modernism.
Sorrell creates textile collages but there is no paired back aesthetic here, as she breaks the rules producing richly textured surfaces that incorporate beading, painting, printmaking, photography, computer images and found objects in what can only be describe as full throttle, over embellished, and richly decorated style.
This heavy handed over embellishment will not appeal to everyone, but it is a breath of fresh air, which is far from empty headed or simply eye candy. For a long time artists that used pattern applied techniques with such a heavy decorative hand were tolerated or worse still simply ignored, until Miriam Schapiro's Decoration Movement in the 70s and 80s. You can see the influence of this movement and other artists such as Susan Shie, Faith Ringgold and Joyce Scott are other artistic influences.
Sorrell's work brushes up against the edges of many boundaries set in established art practice. There is no "less is more' philosophy in play here. This results in questioning good and bad taste, high and low art while also taking textiles as a medium out of the domestic sphere and all its associated practicality, into the realm of art. When set in this context you can see that Sorrell's highly textured work is not mere eye candy alone.
Sorrell trained at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, SC, and Converse College in Spartanburg, SC. She has worked as a graphic designer, art instructor, artist, and has also won numerous awards, shown her work all over the US and been published in many books.
For further information check our NC Commercial
Gallery listings, call the gallery at 704/334-3558 or visit (www.beetonline.com).
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