Maja Ruznic | Vicki Sher | Kaidi Dunstan: a group exhibition

12 Oct - 1 Dec 2018

Tayloe Piggott Gallery is pleased to present an exhibition of select works by Maja Ruznic, Vicki Sher and Kaidi Dunstan. A study of line, color and abstraction, this exhibition will be at Tayloe Piggott Gallery’s Project Space where the still, intimate environment liberates the expressive power of this body of work. There will be an opening reception to celebrate this exhibition on Friday, October 12th from 6-8pm. All are invited to attend.

 

Uncovering raw, intricate psyches, Bosnian artist Maja Ruznic gives form to the emotions that we struggle to both understand and define. In her textile sculptures, she challenges our conception of beauty by creating figures that are derivatives of the human form. A keen observer of human fragility, Ruznic’s disfigured sculptures reflect the hidden physical and emotional trauma in our world. With similar intention, Ruznic also works with oil, ink, and watercolor to create abstract paintings. Focusing on marginalized thoughts, emotions and individuals, Ruznic paints a conversation she overheard, an event she once witnessed or a person she passed by. Drawing from her memories of being a refugee at the age of nine years old, Ruznic’s aesthetic is born from her ability to understand and recognize complex psyches. She has exhibited nationally as well as internationally at ACME, Los Angeles, CA; Shulamit Nazarian, Los Angeles, CA; Jack Fischer Gallery, San Francisco, CA; the Torrence Art Museum, Torrance, CA; Roswell Museum of Contemporary Art, Roswell, NW; Conduit Gallery, Dallas, TX; BEERS Gallery London, England; Galerie d'Ys, Bruxelles, Belgium and many others.

 

Also featured in this exhibition is Vicki Sher, an American artist who uses a variety of media to create fluid, abstract shapes that meditate on the pulsations of human existence. Distilling everyday objects and figures into geometric shapes, Sher’s work is an intuitive dance of color and line. These shapes interact and echo across the translucent page in order to tell a narrative or create a specific mood. Although based in the authentic and elemental art of drawing, Sher has recently incorporated movement in her work through the use of paint and video. This brings an open-ended spirit to her drawings, allowing the piece to take on many different narratives. Born in Washington, DC, Vicki Sher lives and works in Brooklyn, NY. She received her B.F.A. from the Cornell University, Ithaca, NY and her M.F.A. from the University of Iowa. She is the recipient of the 2014 MacDowell Colony Fellowship and the 2015 VCCA Fellowship. Sher has also participated in numerous art fairs, including VOLTA Art Basel, Basel, Switzerland; NADA, PULSE, and Scope in New York and Miami. 

 

These two artists will be shown along with Jackson artist, Kaidi Dunstan. Exploring the fluid and shifting language of the human body, Dunstan illuminates the different ways that individuals connect to other bodies. Working from oil, charcoal, gouache and acrylic on canvas or board, Dunstan’s distinct aesthetic offers a touchstone for the viewer to reflect on the mysterious bonds that draw us to one another. Balancing personal, surreptitious sentiments of human form with enigmatic shades and contours, Dunstan’s work exemplifies a disciplined study of line, color and spirit. Dunstan has been in numerous solo exhibitions in Jackson and group shows in Seattle and Los Angeles. She was awarded the 2002 Visual Arts Fellowship from the Wyoming Arts Council and currently lives in London, UK.