May 2011

Corrigan Gallery in Charleston, SC, Features Works by Yvette Dede

Corrigan Gallery in Charleston, SC, will present the exhibit, Egg Meditations, the continuation of a ten year exploration by Yvette Dede, on view from May 4 - 31, 2011. A reception will be held on May 6, from 5-8pm as part of the French Quarter Gallery Association’s second artwalk of the year.

The graphite drawings presented in this exhibition contemplate the simple yet complex egg, delving into the mysteries of life through the spheroid shape that introduces the beginnings of life.

Dede, a New Orleans native, moved to Charleston twenty years ago. She received her BFA from LSU Baton Rouge, Louisiana and her MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts, Montpelier. She is a full-time adjunct drawing professor at the College of Charleston and has been for 11 years. She was an essential part of Print Studio South’s establishment in the 1990s and taught from 1992 to 2002 for many city and county art programs.

Dede draws on a regular basis, something that is often utilized by others only as a preliminary to the use of another medium. Her works are finished pieces with drawing installations having been included in the South Carolina Arts Commission’s Triennial 2001 and 2004. Besides her drawings she creates collaborative sculpture installations that have been on display throughout the United States and one in the Czech Republic.

Dede and Hiroko Inoue, of Japan, were the 2007 collaborative artists for the residency program at the South Carolina Botanical Gardens. In 1994, she and her collaborators Phyllis Constransitch and Robben McAdam were awarded the Installation/Collaboration Project Grant, from the North Carolina Cultural Council and the Alternate Visions Grant, from Alternate Roots of Atlanta. Her works have been show in Texas, North Carolina, as well as many locations throughout both the US and South Carolina. She had a two person show at City Gallery at Waterfront Park with Erik Johnson in 2008.

Dede states, “Most things in nature are formed from a few simple elements. Paper, figure/ground, and graphite are the primary materials that shape Egg Meditations. The ubiquitous chicken egg is the template for this series for it’s beautiful, simple, and accessible form. These poetic microcosms explore the dualities of light/dark, inside/out, structure/chaos, and shape/space. As in nature where the creative expressions seem infinite, Egg Meditations is comprised of individual entities within the context of a larger vision. They are inspired in part by the works of Agnes Martin and Eva Hesse, and to some degree, process art. Embracing the mystical, spiritual, and inexplicable is the driving force behind this obsessive pursuit.”

The obsessive aspect of the work of which the artist speaks is the repetition of the egg as the subject for each drawing. The repetitive mark making in each piece intensifies the sense of obsession. If one had to choose an obsession, is not the egg the most elemental focus possible? With the obvious largess of its one end and its symmetry replicated by the artist’s hand, these small drawings on paper following the start in 2001 of Egg Meditations. This series began as a regular practice working towards spiritual expression. The capacity to evolve that lies within us has a beginning just as the egg is a beginning that represents potential.

Corrigan Gallery LLC, in its sixth year, is a culmination of a lifetime of experience in Charleston. Representing more than a dozen artists in an intimate space it presents ever changing shows. Gallery artists are Manning Williams, Duke Hagerty, Mary Walker, Kristi Ryba, Sue Simons Wallace, Gordon Nicholson, John Moore, William Meissburger, Lese Corrigan, Paul Mardikian, Joe Walters and John Hull among others. Visiting artists are included in the yearly roster with most of the artists being either Charleston natives or Charleston residents. Exploring the depth and intellect behind the drive to create, Corrigan Gallery provides a breathing space around the historic city’s traditional bent.

For further information check our SC Commercial Gallery listings, call the gallery at 843/722-9868 or visit (www.corrigangallery.com).

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