Water is Everything
Judith Belzer
Cheryl Molnar
Shannon Rankin
Joseph Smolinski
Opening Reception:
Saturday, November 18, 3-5pm
Date:
November 18, 2017 - January 16, 2018
Location:
Drive-By Projects, 81 Spring Street, Watertown, MA
Hours:
Thursdays 12-4pm and by appointment:
call or text 617-835-8255.
drive-by online to view the work in the exhibition >
Drive-by Projects is pleased to present Water is Everything, an exhibition of paintings by Judith Belzer and Cheryl Molnar, and works on paper by Joseph Smolinski and Shannon Rankin.
"Water is vital for our existence. Not only do we drink it for survival, the majority of the human body is also composed of water. The earth's weather patterns are closely linked to water too, as they are determined by the complex patterns of changes and movement of water in the atmosphere."
From the website Readworks.org, intended as educational material for 8th grade students.
Joseph Smolinski's work examines human interventions in the landscape. His Open Water series looks at our dependence on water and the potential energy it holds. Considering current events, these bodies of water hold the capacity for innovation or tragedy. A phosphorescent glow illuminates Smolinski's beautifully articulated seascapes to create images that are simultaneously seductive and ominous.
Judith Belzer continues her exploration of water infrastructure and how it reflects the impact of human activity on the global landscape with her paintings of the Hoover and Glen Canyon dams. Built to last 750-1000 years, they will most likely outlive their utility on account of water scarcity caused by climate change. Belzer sees the dams as "beautiful, iconic forms that will most likely endure as monuments to our American hubris and greed."
Cheryl Molnar's collaged paintings depict fictional landscapes inspired by locations that Molnar has visited. In Cliffside, the ghostly image of acontemporary house rests precariously atop a weather-worn bluff. Though no water is visible, the effects of unchecked clearing of the land for development are apparent in the eroded cliff as the house balances on the edge of oblivion.
Shannon Rankin addresses the crisis of slowly melting artic glaciers with her Earth Embroideries. Satellite views of artic landscapes are transcribed with thread onto paper, re-forming that vast terrain into something that can be held in ones hand. Rankin's slow methodical stitching process alludes to glacial time and, hopefully, mindful mending.