9th Annual Juried Exhibition
States of Becoming
February 7 – March 2, 2019
Juror: Carrie Dedon, Assistant Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art for the Seattle Art Museum
Juror Carrie Dedon, Assistant Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art for the Seattle Art Museum, has carefully chosen an outstanding collection of work from over 1,600 entries worldwide. Please join us for the Reception and Prize Presentation on March 2, 2019 from 3-5pm.
You can order the Exhibition Catalog here.
Contributing Artists
Andrea Alonge
Trevor Brown
Lisa Hochstein
Dave Kennedy
R. J. Kern
Geneviève L’Heureux
Tiffany Lange
Jenene Nagy
Juror Statement
by Carrie Dedon
Though diverse in their mediums and practices, the artists in this exhibition–living and working throughout the United States and Canada–find common ground in moments of transience and transformation. Whether by engaging with histories and traditions of art-making, reframing familiar objects and materials as something entirely new, or exploring a simple repeated gesture, the works gathered here suggest the potentials to be found in a state of becoming, and in the boundaries between known points.
For several of the artists in this gallery, traditional modes of art-making offer arenas in which to examine complex narratives. In RJ Kern’s images of farm animals and their young handlers competing for entry into the Minnesota State Fair, the framework of formal portraiture accentuates the hopeful and proud posturing of the subjects, positing a gray area between the binary of those who will be chosen as winners–and those who will not. Examining other mediums, Tiffany Lange and Andrea Alonge’s large-scale works push against the boundaries of painting, installation, and the craft traditions often relegated as “women’s work.” While Lange manipulates her altered canvases into forms that defy traditional definitions of painting, Alonge uses found textiles that carry others’ personal memories and stories, remaking them as assemblages that map her own history and experiences.
Trevor Brown similarly re-casts familiar objects so that we might view them anew, encasing plastic flowers and lawn ornaments in geometric blocks of foam and wood to constrict and refocus our consideration of their original forms. Dave Kennedy pushes this exploration of materiality to the extreme: made entirely of photocopied images, his hollow constructions are surprising camouflages of banal objects, asking us to look deeper at “the space between reality and illusion”–and how our own perspective shapes our understanding of the two.
Finally, time and duration plays a crucial role in many of the works in this gallery. Lisa Hochstein’s collages of aged paper embrace the discoloration and fragility that has altered the material with time, making subtle, layered compositions that read like architectural grids. In Genevieve L’Heureux’s drawings and prints the simple and repetitive gesture of a line builds upon itself to create almost geological forms that “are simultaneously heavy and light, solid and decaying, floating and sinking.” Jenene Nagy similarly employs the act of repetition in her work, layering materials and marks to create richly-textured monochromatic surfaces, topographic histories of accrual and cumulation.
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Andrea Alonge, Space Eye Cycle, cotton velvet chain, grommets, sequins, plastic, 53 x 37 x 1 inches, 2018My new work explores my experiences living in the Pacific Northwest, with its unique blend of monumental and the ordinary, through labor-intensive handwork, creating meditations on movement through macro and microcosms of place and relationships. Drawn to current and vintage textiles that speak to histories past and present, I use found textiles and quilting processes like embroidery as marks that represent personal memories or stories, landscape, architectural forms, and movement through space and time. By using these pre-designed textiles and altering them, chopping them up, and combining them to "draw", I wander through natural wonders recalled and imagined. I combine meditative symbols and shapes with textiles whose patterns and textures have specific associations with place, time or person. Through meticulous hand labor, my inner city becomes physical object; my relationships with others an abstracted visual story. -
Andrea Alonge, Not My First BBQ, textiles, thread, embroidery, trims, rhinestones, 43 x 42 x 1 inches, 2017My new work explores my experiences living in the Pacific Northwest, with its unique blend of monumental and the ordinary, through labor-intensive handwork, creating meditations on movement through macro and microcosms of place and relationships. Drawn to current and vintage textiles that speak to histories past and present, I use found textiles and quilting processes like embroidery as marks that represent personal memories or stories, landscape, architectural forms, and movement through space and time. By using these pre-designed textiles and altering them, chopping them up, and combining them to "draw", I wander through natural wonders recalled and imagined. I combine meditative symbols and shapes with textiles whose patterns and textures have specific associations with place, time or person. Through meticulous hand labor, my inner city becomes physical object; my relationships with others an abstracted visual story. -
Trevor Brown, Two Weeks Vacation, mixed media, 22 x 26 x 5 inches, 2018These sculptures put complex objects into simple boxes. Once observed and considered in their constricted state, the complexity of the original objects are revealed by chipping away at the surrounding geometric forms. Dissecting and studying the individual parts of an object is not a complete method for understanding the larger whole. For example, contemplating a tomato slice does not give justice to the entire hamburger. As a football coach, having a deep knowledge of the passing game is not sufficient for a well rounded offense. A pleasant garden is more than it's flowers, sometimes you need good dirt too. The current work uses fake plants to explore these ideas further. -
Trevor Brown, Potted Plant (Yellow Edition), expanding foam, fake plant, wood, 11 x 44 x 8 inches, 2018These sculptures put complex objects into simple boxes. Once observed and considered in their constricted state, the complexity of the original objects are revealed by chipping away at the surrounding geometric forms. Dissecting and studying the individual parts of an object is not a complete method for understanding the larger whole. For example, contemplating a tomato slice does not give justice to the entire hamburger. As a football coach, having a deep knowledge of the passing game is not sufficient for a well rounded offense. A pleasant garden is more than it's flowers, sometimes you need good dirt too. The current work uses fake plants to explore these ideas further. -
Trevor Brown, Potted Plant (Violet Edition), expanding foam, fake plant, wood, 18 x 20 x 12 inches, 2018These sculptures put complex objects into simple boxes. Once observed and considered in their constricted state, the complexity of the original objects are revealed by chipping away at the surrounding geometric forms. Dissecting and studying the individual parts of an object is not a complete method for understanding the larger whole. For example, contemplating a tomato slice does not give justice to the entire hamburger. As a football coach, having a deep knowledge of the passing game is not sufficient for a well rounded offense. A pleasant garden is more than it's flowers, sometimes you need good dirt too. The current work uses fake plants to explore these ideas further. -
Lisa Hochstein, Labyrinth - 6, collage on paper, 16 x 12 inches, 2018I have long been attracted to the geometry and design of modern and contemporary architecture, finding inspiration in the lines, angles, and materials that are common to renovated urban landscapes. The architectural conditions that capture my attention are often viewed as imposing, alienating, and off-putting. Through shifts in scale and choice of materials, I create approachable, vulnerable objects and images that invite engagement. I am also drawn to the fragility, intimacy and delicacy of floor plans, maps, and renderings of physical structures and environments that can cause dissonance in our public and private spaces. This contrast intrigues me-how the 3-D object and its 2-D representation can be so differently evocative, depending on size, media, and function. Most recently I have been looking to literary narratives in which dwellings, enclosures, and other human-made structures play significant roles. The three pieces in this show are part of a series based on the Greek myth of King Minos and the Labyrinth built to contain the half-human, half-bovine Minotaur. The Labyrinth is a structure that is both a holding place for that which is transgressive and shameful, as well as a physical impediment to freedom and mobility. In addition to housing the Minotaur, it was from this structure that Daedalus and Icarus escaped with wings of feather and wax. -
Lisa Hochstein, Labyrinth - 7, collage on paper, 16 x 12 inches, 2018I have long been attracted to the geometry and design of modern and contemporary architecture, finding inspiration in the lines, angles, and materials that are common to renovated urban landscapes. The architectural conditions that capture my attention are often viewed as imposing, alienating, and off-putting. Through shifts in scale and choice of materials, I create approachable, vulnerable objects and images that invite engagement. I am also drawn to the fragility, intimacy and delicacy of floor plans, maps, and renderings of physical structures and environments that can cause dissonance in our public and private spaces. This contrast intrigues me-how the 3-D object and its 2-D representation can be so differently evocative, depending on size, media, and function. Most recently I have been looking to literary narratives in which dwellings, enclosures, and other human-made structures play significant roles. The three pieces in this show are part of a series based on the Greek myth of King Minos and the Labyrinth built to contain the half-human, half-bovine Minotaur. The Labyrinth is a structure that is both a holding place for that which is transgressive and shameful, as well as a physical impediment to freedom and mobility. In addition to housing the Minotaur, it was from this structure that Daedalus and Icarus escaped with wings of feather and wax. -
Lisa Hochstein, Labyrinth - 9, collage on paper, 16 x 12 inches, 2018I have long been attracted to the geometry and design of modern and contemporary architecture, finding inspiration in the lines, angles, and materials that are common to renovated urban landscapes. The architectural conditions that capture my attention are often viewed as imposing, alienating, and off-putting. Through shifts in scale and choice of materials, I create approachable, vulnerable objects and images that invite engagement. I am also drawn to the fragility, intimacy and delicacy of floor plans, maps, and renderings of physical structures and environments that can cause dissonance in our public and private spaces. This contrast intrigues me-how the 3-D object and its 2-D representation can be so differently evocative, depending on size, media, and function. Most recently I have been looking to literary narratives in which dwellings, enclosures, and other human-made structures play significant roles. The three pieces in this show are part of a series based on the Greek myth of King Minos and the Labyrinth built to contain the half-human, half-bovine Minotaur. The Labyrinth is a structure that is both a holding place for that which is transgressive and shameful, as well as a physical impediment to freedom and mobility. In addition to housing the Minotaur, it was from this structure that Daedalus and Icarus escaped with wings of feather and wax. -
Dave Kennedy, White Wall, photographic paper, 5.5 x 12 x 4 inches, 2017My work is drawn from my experience being born mixed-race. I grew up in a World War II housing project, in Tacoma, WA. Many people of different ethnicities lived in my neighborhood. However, my mother is Italian & African and my father is Native American which meant that I didn't look quite like one thing or the other, and it was common for people to ask me: What are you? This (objectifying) question is imbedded into my practice and my exploration of an expanded view into unseen subjectivities. -
Dave Kennedy, Brown black and red, sculpture constructed from copy paper, 5.5, x 9 x 5.5 inches, 2018My work is drawn from my experience being born mixed-race. I grew up in a World War II housing project, in Tacoma, WA. Many people of different ethnicities lived in my neighborhood. However, my mother is Italian & African and my father is Native American which meant that I didn't look quite like one thing or the other, and it was common for people to ask me: What are you? This (objectifying) question is imbedded into my practice and my exploration of an expanded view into unseen subjectivities. -
Dave Kennedy, Burgandy Trapezoids, photographic paper, 5 x 8 x 2 inches, 2017My work is drawn from my experience being born mixed-race. I grew up in a World War II housing project, in Tacoma, WA. Many people of different ethnicities lived in my neighborhood. However, my mother is Italian & African and my father is Native American which meant that I didn't look quite like one thing or the other, and it was common for people to ask me: What are you? This (objectifying) question is imbedded into my practice and my exploration of an expanded view into unseen subjectivities. -
R. J. Kern, Kenzie and Hootie, Anoka County Fair, Minnesota, 2016, archival ink on rag, 43 x 53 inches, 2016The Unchosen Ones takes place on the sidelines of county fair animal contests in Minnesota in 2016. These county fairs lead up to the Minnesota State Fair, one of the largest and best-attended expositions in the world. One isn't born a winner or loser, but a chooser. This theme I explore in this series. As we look at them, they look back, allowing us to think about how we choose winners and the repercussions for the ones not chosen. The project consists of over 60 portraits made at 10 Minnesota county fairs in 2016. The photographs showcase the subject facing the camera, allowing the viewer to decide what connects and distinguishes these subjects. With a vantage point straight onto the figures, the direct stance portrayed develops a typology, showcasing individual styles and characteristics. With a serial and systematic approach, the human condition is exposed in real-time. -
R. J. Kern, Anna and Helen, Blue Earth County Fair, Minnesota, archival ink on rag, 43 x 53 inches, 2016The Unchosen Ones takes place on the sidelines of county fair animal contests in Minnesota in 2016. These county fairs lead up to the Minnesota State Fair, one of the largest and best-attended expositions in the world. One isn't born a winner or loser, but a chooser. This theme I explore in this series. As we look at them, they look back, allowing us to think about how we choose winners and the repercussions for the ones not chosen. The project consists of over 60 portraits made at 10 Minnesota county fairs in 2016. The photographs showcase the subject facing the camera, allowing the viewer to decide what connects and distinguishes these subjects. With a vantage point straight onto the figures, the direct stance portrayed develops a typology, showcasing individual styles and characteristics. With a serial and systematic approach, the human condition is exposed in real-time. -
Geneviève L'Heureux, Fracture I, pencil drawing on somerset paper, 30 x 22 inches, 2017Fascinated by systems where repetition yields infinite variations, I produced a series of drawings, and subsequently of prints, with the premise of using solely the simplest element: the line. The forms come to be, solely by determining where each line starts and ends. I like the contrast of using a generic and repetitive process to generate deeply evocative and emotional work. I try to touch our senses, our true human condition, by challenging the well accepted theory that contrasting concepts stand as polar opposites and that we live in a world of exclusion. In these series, therefore, the forms purposely acquire several co-existing dual qualities. They are simultaneously heavy 'and' light, solid 'and' decaying, floating 'and' sinking. I cherish that we move from mass to lightness, from permanence to ephemerality, or from line to surface without any apparent contradiction, but in a seamless oscillating movement that blurs definitions. It is all about 'and', not 'or'. -
Geneviève L'Heureux, Fracture III (state 2), etching, aquatint on somerset paper, 22.5 x 22.25 inches, 2017Fascinated by systems where repetition yields infinite variations, I produced a series of drawings, and subsequently of prints, with the premise of using solely the simplest element: the line. The forms come to be, solely by determining where each line starts and ends. I like the contrast of using a generic and repetitive process to generate deeply evocative and emotional work. I try to touch our senses, our true human condition, by challenging the well accepted theory that contrasting concepts stand as polar opposites and that we live in a world of exclusion. In these series, therefore, the forms purposely acquire several co-existing dual qualities. They are simultaneously heavy 'and' light, solid 'and' decaying, floating 'and' sinking. I cherish that we move from mass to lightness, from permanence to ephemerality, or from line to surface without any apparent contradiction, but in a seamless oscillating movement that blurs definitions. It is all about 'and', not 'or'. -
Geneviève L'Heureux, Sink III (state 2), etching, aquatint on somerset paper, 15 x 19.75 inches, 2017Fascinated by systems where repetition yields infinite variations, I produced a series of drawings, and subsequently of prints, with the premise of using solely the simplest element: the line. The forms come to be, solely by determining where each line starts and ends. I like the contrast of using a generic and repetitive process to generate deeply evocative and emotional work. I try to touch our senses, our true human condition, by challenging the well accepted theory that contrasting concepts stand as polar opposites and that we live in a world of exclusion. In these series, therefore, the forms purposely acquire several co-existing dual qualities. They are simultaneously heavy 'and' light, solid 'and' decaying, floating 'and' sinking. I cherish that we move from mass to lightness, from permanence to ephemerality, or from line to surface without any apparent contradiction, but in a seamless oscillating movement that blurs definitions. It is all about 'and', not 'or'. -
Tiffany Lange, 90s Baby, canvas, acrylic, rope, yarn, 12 x 12 x 5 inches, 2018As a female and Midwest native, family traditions and constructed gender roles influenced me to question the idea of traditional painting. Through the use of the basic elements of design, I translate the history of craft traditions and women's work in the Midwest into a contemporary painting context. By using nostalgic colors from the 90s, knitting and sewing techniques, found materials, gravity and manipulating canvas in an unconventional way, my current work is challenging both the realms of painting and installation. -
Tiffany Lange, Untitled, canvas, acrylic, rope, 4 x 5.5 feet, 2018As a female and Midwest native, family traditions and constructed gender roles influenced me to question the idea of traditional painting. Through the use of the basic elements of design, I translate the history of craft traditions and women's work in the Midwest into a contemporary painting context. By using nostalgic colors from the 90s, knitting and sewing techniques, found materials, gravity and manipulating canvas in an unconventional way, my current work is challenging both the realms of painting and installation. -
Tiffany Lange, Grrl Culture, canvas, acrylic, bias tape, snaps, 3 x 6.5 x 3 feet, 2018As a female and Midwest native, family traditions and constructed gender roles influenced me to question the idea of traditional painting. Through the use of the basic elements of design, I translate the history of craft traditions and women's work in the Midwest into a contemporary painting context. By using nostalgic colors from the 90s, knitting and sewing techniques, found materials, gravity and manipulating canvas in an unconventional way, my current work is challenging both the realms of painting and installation. -
Jenene Nagy, mass 14, torn paper and graphite mounted on paper, 11 x 11 inches, 2018The mark, the Mantra, the repeated act; all this accumulates to form something greater, a Mass. I am interested in the transformative potential of repetition. How simple materials, actions, and forms can produce something greater than the component parts. My investment in the fundamentals extends to my desire for the viewer to experience the works through the simple act of looking, to acknowledge their place in time as they contemplate an accrual. There is a slowness here, both in the making and in the viewing, with both having quiet rewards. My hope is that through the relationship between my making and active viewership something enhanced, other, enlightened, will form. At the center of this process lies a claim to a new reality or truth.In my studio I practice what I consider a simple alchemy. I engage in an act that is similar to an incantation. Each mark I make builds on the one previous, culminating to something that is greater than our physical understanding of this world. -
Jenene Nagy, flag (surrender 2), oil woodblock on silk, 40 x 80 inches, 2018The mark, the Mantra, the repeated act; all this accumulates to form something greater, a Mass. I am interested in the transformative potential of repetition. How simple materials, actions, and forms can produce something greater than the component parts. My investment in the fundamentals extends to my desire for the viewer to experience the works through the simple act of looking, to acknowledge their place in time as they contemplate an accrual. There is a slowness here, both in the making and in the viewing, with both having quiet rewards. My hope is that through the relationship between my making and active viewership something enhanced, other, enlightened, will form. At the center of this process lies a claim to a new reality or truth.In my studio I practice what I consider a simple alchemy. I engage in an act that is similar to an incantation. Each mark I make builds on the one previous, culminating to something that is greater than our physical understanding of this world. -
Jenene Nagy, watermark drawing (black), cast paper and graphite, 11 x 17 inches, 2017The mark, the Mantra, the repeated act; all this accumulates to form something greater, a Mass. I am interested in the transformative potential of repetition. How simple materials, actions, and forms can produce something greater than the component parts. My investment in the fundamentals extends to my desire for the viewer to experience the works through the simple act of looking, to acknowledge their place in time as they contemplate an accrual. There is a slowness here, both in the making and in the viewing, with both having quiet rewards. My hope is that through the relationship between my making and active viewership something enhanced, other, enlightened, will form. At the center of this process lies a claim to a new reality or truth.In my studio I practice what I consider a simple alchemy. I engage in an act that is similar to an incantation. Each mark I make builds on the one previous, culminating to something that is greater than our physical understanding of this world.
