GILLIAN

[gillianchristy]

I’ve been busy pulling everything together for my solo show, “Tabernacle Tableau” at The Art Complex Museum in Duxbury, MA.   The museum team comes to pick up the work next week.  It has been so exciting to finish the tabernacle series and imagine it finally exhibited all together.   I will admit it has been a little nerve-wracking to get the sculptures out and try to remember what hardware I used, or how things go together.  Some of these pieces have been wrapped up for a few years!  

My last solo show was in 2014 at The Boston Sculptors Gallery.  I prefer not to go eight years between shows, but like many things, this show was initially scheduled for 2020 which was cancelled due to Covid.  Museum renovations happened and then it was rescheduled for 2021 with our final date upon us July 17 - September 18, 2022. 

The show postcards are ready to pick up, and marketing images are slated to be put out on different social media over the next month.  The tabernacles are such substantial pieces, but online they look like little jewelry pieces so I am eager to document the series with photography and video to show the scale. So much planning goes into an exhibition, it will feel very good to be at the opening. Hope to see you there! Sunday, July 17 from 1-4 pm. 

The Birth (above), Steel, Paint, Bronze,  Gold, Wood 29" h x 22" w x 5" d, 2021

[gillianchristy]

“Catalyst” is currently on view at Humphreys Street Studios where my studio is located in Dorchester, MA.  The Our Heart theme resonated with me as I considered which sculpture to include in the show.  In 2016 this “Catalyst” model was submitted for consideration as a much larger sculpture at a zoo for their new rain forest exhibition.  I like the sculpture I created which hints at animal imagery; parrot, snake and lemur in a dynamic way.  However, looking back at my intent with the sculpture it is evident to see why I was not awarded the project.  I will say it was with my heart that I considered the rain forest.

My Proposal: The sculpture I would like the opportunity to build represents the drastic climate crisis taking place.  The energetic motion expressed within the forms of the sculpture depicts buoyant energy.  The upward momentum displays a firework mid-air, representing the immediacy that needs to be addressed around the long-term vitality of the rain forest.   The narrative of the sculpture reads as “Ka-boom!” or “Wake up!” as arrows or a snake point and swirl around among vintage rockets or birds creating a sparkler or firework effect.  I want to alert the viewers senses that a change is taking place both within the exhibit and when considering our planet.

On View 11 Humphreys Street, Dorchester

Friday and Saturday, 10-4 through June 4.

[gillianchristy]

Creative capitulation in Prov

In recent decades, art in Providence has served as a wrecking ball aimed not just at beauty but at the very concept of art, in a city that depends on art for its historical character, even as it br…

David Brussat muses on art and sculpture in Providence.  Brussat compares the temporary nature of sculpture being placed in public and the way that it mimics the uncertainty felt in society today.

[gillianchristy]

Artist creating sculpture honoring longtime Cedar Falls Mayor Jon Crews

A sculpture being created by UNI alum Gillian Christy that represents the connections of community will honor the memory of Jon Crews, Cedar Falls' longest serving mayor.

I am happy to be creating "Fence Roadway" that honors the memory of Jon Crews.  While I did not know the mayor during my time in Cedar Falls, I certainly enjoyed a great quality of life while attending University of Northern Iowa.  This sculpture is currently on pause at the studio, but I am working on some details from home to continue moving forward.

[gillianchristy]

“Lucian Freud: The Self Portraits” was an interesting look at the artists life and style of his work through the years in self portraits.  I liked considering the way the painter sees himself and his body throughout the years through the aging process. His markings seem to become more and more blunt as the years progress. Freud has been lauded for the way in which he captures realistic skin tones and it is remarkable to see in person.  The exhibition opens tomorrow at the MFA.  

Here is a preview of the exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts.

[gillianchristy]

When I was looking up which show we wanted to see as we were pulling into NYC, the bronze horse skeleton sculpture piqued my interest. The Hans Haacke: All Connected  retrospective at the New Museum ended up being a perfect outing for our whole family.   I was impressed with the larger than life horse, “Gift Horse” originally unveiled at Trafalgar Square with a strip of stock market ticker tape tied in a bow at the knee. It was entertaining for Asher, with one whole floor devoted to floating balloons, ice machines and fans blowing underneath light fabric.  Russell was interested in the social issues tackled and addressed through sculpture.  The Invisible Hand of The Market (2009) was a Disney-esque waving hand (above) which was appropriately the first and last thing we saw. On view through January 26, 2020.

[gillianchristy]

Nick Cave at The Cyclorama is totally worth the visit.  See it before it comes down Friday, September 13!  The sculpture looks as if it consists of a mash-up of inflatable yard art items such as birthday cakes, pumpkins or a Santa Claus.  The thing I kept trying to discern was if Cave took existing items and sewed them together or if he made the whole thing? Maybe a little of both? This stop is FREE and seriously a visual treat.

[gillianchristy]

Late Bloomers

Picasso’s greatest works came early but Cézanne’s came late. Why do we equate genius with precocity?

[gillianchristy]

The sculpture at the Pompidou that I most responded with was the work by Giuseppe Penone.  The Italian sculptor works most often with the tree form and nature as a theme.  At the Pompidou Penone had one sculpture at the end of the “Prehistory” exhibition and two sculptures that were in the contemporary wing.  I also stumbled upon Penone’s public artwork at the Tuilieries Garden.  Each time I have been presented with his work I’ve been so intrigued.  I can’t wait to see, read and discover more about this artist’s work. 

[gillianchristy]

We stepped inside the Sainte-Genevieve Library and the ornate metalwork was really impressive.  Open to the public in 1851, it is revered as an exemplary way to use iron in a prominent and visible way in architecture.  Architect McKim referenced this building as inspiration for the design of the Boston Public Library.

[gillianchristy]

The Calder-Picasso exhibition displayed interesting similarities between the way both artists used negative space to create abstract works of art.  The best way this was depicted for me was in “The Bull,” a 1945 lithograph print by Picasso in which eleven prints whittle the bull down to simple lines, while still reading as a bull. 

The clean lines of Calder’s mobiles looked so modern against the Picasso Museum interior (which was a former home to a tax-collector for salt, "Hotel de Sale”).  This was enjoyable enough, but not my favorite show. 

[gillianchristy]

While Russell and I were talking about what to see during our 48 hours in London I realized I was most interested in visiting smaller museums.  We headed over to Sir John Soane’s which was also Free and Open to the Public.   Upon entering we were instructed to turn off our phone and hand over our personal items.  This allows us viewers to be fully aware of our surroundings (no knocking over a stone sculpture while taking a selfie) and become fully immersed in the enjoyment of an object.  

The collection was an amazing array of relics, reproductions and antiquities that served as his visual library from 1780′s -1837.   The jaw-dropping culmination of it all spanned from the bizarre (death masks) to the beautiful (low-relief fleur de lis panels).  My favorite item was the “Ephesian Diana” which was easy for me to look up when I got back to our place on their reference catalogue Collections Online.

[gillianchristy]

The Wallace Collection

Asher and I had a few hours to enjoy ourselves near Manchester Square and we stumbled onto The Wallace Collection.  The building, which was an old regal mansion, definitely looked like a museum but I was unsure.  Then I noticed it had a big red banner on the front fence that read Free and Open to the Public, Every Day 10-5.  Well of course we were game to go in, and what a treat.  The armor rooms (plural) were a joy for Asher to discover the world of knights and swords.  Then on the second floor I was pleased to sit with one of twelve(!!) Rembrandt’s, “Titus, The Artist’s Son.” My favorite part of being a tourist is being one that can wander.

[gillianchristy]

I love museums, especially world class museums that make one drool with the grand interiors and famous collections.  And then there are The Crowds.  They really don’t bother me, but Thomas Struth’s work comes to mind and then it’s almost all I can think of!

Pictured here, Winged Victory of Somathrace at The Louvre photographed by me.  Click on this link to see Struth’s photography at Museo del Prado.

[gillianchristy]

A whole room of Giambattista Tiepolo’s work at the Louvre!  This painting is a sketch for a decorative design above a door in the Throne Room in Madrid, Spain.  I am especially attracted to the decorative arts these days and this sketch showcases Tiepolo’s masterful abilities in painting light and shadow.  It is also interesting to see the delicate ornate frame framed within a contemporary case.

[gillianchristy]

“Home” was installed last week at the Pittsburgh International Airport.  It is located near the baggage claim at Door 2, by the Uber and Lyft pick up.

Home, Stainless Steel, 9′ 6″ h x 5′6″ w x 5′6″ d, 2019

[gillianchristy]

“Home” is finished! Working on the base and loading it up for delivery and installation this weekend.