de-natured

Thursday, Jan. 18 through Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2018
Opening reception: 5-7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 18, with gallery talk at 5 p.m.

The Dorrance H. Hamilton Gallery has announced the opening of “de-natured,” a group exhibition organized by Mara Metcalf and Ernest Jolicoeur.

Together, Metcalf, Linda Leslie Brown, Jane Marsching and Ed Osborn share an interest in the environment and its uncertain future. Using sculpture, video and painting, their work explores interwoven ecologies and the disturbing modifications to the natural world that often result from human activity.

Browns’ compact sculptures combine plastic debris, plaster and ceramics to create allusive bodies and construct a “new natural.” Marsching uses collaborative, research-based practices to explore the impact of humans on our environment. In her black kite installation, she weaves a tale of interconnectedness between mankind and the ocean, between disaster and desire.

Osborn’s video of the frozen landscape reveals a slow evolution. Ice melts and moves while plants poke through the tundra. It is an experience of geologic time, where humanity is a mere blip. Metcalf is interested in the borderline between nature and the urban environment. In her abstract paintings, stitched together layers dematerialize solid form into ever changing veils of color and image.

The gallery is handicap accessible with parking along Lawrence and Leroy avenues. Its exhibits are open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays and noon to 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. The gallery is closed on Mondays.