We are distressed by the daily cycle of hateful and self-serving rhetoric. It skews us into unfulfilling reactions. We are out-of-whack. We fight to avoid turning off. Though ill-at-ease, there is hope of something blooming from our better nature. In a small and special part of our society a growing number of artists are speaking of redress and solace. In their work we can find the energy to turn back on. It is at this moment, within these circumstances, that the gallery presents the fourth Julie Wolfe exhibition. To quote the artist, “After the election some dark things became more apparent. My awareness has been heightened. Along with many others, I am concerned about the social and cultural impact of this sort of spiritual crisis, about the lack of truth. Through my work I am finding ways to cope and be hopeful. The upcoming show is a response. The show contains works from three series. There is the confrontational character of the ‘Under Their Gaze, We Become Creatures’ series. In the landscapes from the ‘Venus: Site Specific’ series there is an otherworldliness. And in the ‘Magnitude of Equality’ paintings the gravity defying effects of the color and gray scale studies speak of the power of diversity and equality.”
The artist describes her show as a response to current events, but none of the works in Under Their Gaze, We Become Creatures are didactic. Each piece carefully provokes thoughts of potential catastrophe, present dangers, or feelings of dislocation. Yet the show is colorful, hopeful. We experience a sense of generosity in the artist’s viewpoint. “I hope you find something to respond to, something to contemplate, to remember, something that opens up in you.” Great artworks are machines of perpetual motion. They move us from tradition, responding in the present, pushing us towards the future. The artist reminds us that art is always connected to society.