Volta NY art fair September 2024 | booth 15
Karin Waskiewicz
FORMah gallery will be located at Booth 15 with a solo presentation by Karin Waskiewicz.
Waskiewicz’s paintings unveil the information hidden within the complex color system. Inspired by a remembered landscape, the artist recreates memories of a space that became abstract over time. Memories in the artworks are decoded, exposing associated with a moment feelings and characteristics of a landscape. Waskiewicz combines the visual and the emotional from the experience, translating it to layers of physical and affective elements.
Artwork highlights visible layers of paint differing from the under paint. Each panel is thickly built up with many layers of multi-hued acrylic paint, sufficient to accumulate beyond the edges of the panel, creating organic form. Strokes in the dry paint are carved using tools traditionally meant for woodworking, uncovering the information, making the earlier elements of the painting visible. This unique practice evokes the flickering light and color of the natural world. Similar to creating a puzzle, the artist integrates carved chips in the layers of three-dimensional woven textures from other paintings, connecting her body of work not only conceptually but physically.
The paintings change slightly with the viewer’s gaze, inviting to walk around and explore the artwork from different angles. Like impressionism, Waskiewicz’s paintings offer micro vs macro approach, while each point of view exposes emergence of earlier layers, forms and carefully planned woven grids.
The highlight of the solo presentation is a new masterwork "Spring Bloom", which is on the view for the first time at the VOLTA fair. The painting explores the growth and movement of a tree. The foundation of this piece is built from ten layers, layered in a geometric pattern that emulate the ripples of water. This kaleidoscopic base sets the stage for the striking imagery that follows.
At the heart of the painting is a positive and negative drawing of a tree, inspired by a specific tree encountered during a trip to Hawaii. The tree's silhouette is layered, adding a sense of depth and dimension that harmonizes with the underlying patterns.
The essence of "Spring Bloom" lies in its ability to reflect the layers of our own lives. Just as certain layers of the painting emerge as prominent features while others remain subtly hidden, our own experiences shape who we are—some events resonate vividly, while others fade into distant memories.
In "Spring Bloom" every carve and layer tells a story, capturing the beauty of growth and the significance of our past, both seen and unseen. This painting serves as a reminder that all our experiences, whether prominent or faint, contribute to the richness of our existence.
The artist discovers what is the underpaint of her artwork, much like that an archeologist, she excavates the surface of the painting to expose fragments of time. Waskiewicz compares the layers to moments in her own life; as some events stay with us, others remain faint and distant memories. The artist’s goal is not only to capture the way a specific landscape looks and feels, but how complex they affect our consciousness and resonate in different ways within our memories. All of that allows the viewer to become immersed in the process of painting.
