Exhibition: "Drift with Me Darling" featuring artists: Alex Chowaniec, Elizabeth D’Agostino, Joy Kardish, Julie Liger-Belair, Marney McDiarmid, Patti Normand, Eryn O’Neill, Manny Trinh and Marjolyn van der Hart, Wall Space Gallery, January 6 - February 2, 2023.
The past three years have presented a unique opportunity to adapt our relationship with the self, others and nature. Drift with Me Darling features nine artists creating work that exists between the mystic and the real; inviting the viewer to reflect on the world at hand.
As our relationship with technology plays a more prominent role in society, does that create a shift in how we navigate the external world? Challenging the expectations of moving and working faster, versus slowing down and looking inwards, each artist exhibits an environment that is rooted in reality but reshapes how we view and navigate the natural landscape.
Alex Chowaniec, Joy Kardish, Patti Normand, Eryn O’Neill and Manny Trinh, create introspective pieces echoing feelings of romance and nostalgia. Through their respective mediums, they each explore the discovery of the self during transient periods. There’s a sense of calm; inviting us to drift through moments we may have missed and reflect on the time we have taken for granted with others and nature.
Elizabeth D’Agostino, Julie Liger-Belair, Marney McDiarmid and Marjolyn van der Hart examine liminal space between reality and a fictitious world, piecing together different aspects of our surroundings to create a representation that goes beyond reality. This duality of escapism and desire to stay grounded enables the viewer to reflect on the world presented to them through the eyes of the artist. There is an unease and comfort in each of these works, depicting moments that are more lifelike than they first appear.
Retreating to the subconscious of the mind conjures both darkness and imagination. Through fragments of ourselves we can find the familiar, where depth and memory merge. Partial depictions of reality create gaps, spaces for the viewer to enter, or escape to something mystical; prompting us to think about how we respond to stressful situations. Slowing down, examining how we feel, and using art as a meditative process is a powerful way to rebel against the systems we operate within.
