Gallery Y: “Roots” Group Exhibition
Gallery X: Lora Fosberg, “More Trees Please”
June 19 – August 15, 2015
Opening Reception: June 19, 2015, 6-9pm
This summer’s exhibition, “Roots” (Gallery Y), features 18 gallery artists whose work relates to the broad and beautiful subject matter of trees. Also on display is a solo exhibition of new work by Lora Fosberg, “More Trees Please” (Gallery X). The concept for such a simple yet deep and rich group exhibition is a manifestation of a very personal vision for Linda Warren, as it mirrors an overarching theme that can be found in the practices of many artists within the gallery roster – and clearly not by chance.
This universal love affair with nature, and more specifically with trees, has created a unifying link amongst the works of gallery artists Jason Brammer, Doug Fogelson, Carson Fox, Conrad Freiburg, Nicole Gordon, Michiko Itatani, Emmett Kerrigan, William Eckhardt Kohler, Brenda Moore, Judith Mullen, Joseph Noderer, Jennifer Presant, Nina Rizzo, Zach Taylor, Tom Torluemke, Chris Uphues, Tom Van Eynde and Matthew Woodward. “Roots” reflects a microcosmic parallel to mankind’s overall worship of trees, which has existed throughout history and within cultures around the globe. Whether used directly as a representational subject, as a source of inspiration for narrative, line, lighting, composition, color, or even as a catalyst for emotional or intellectual investigation, the tree is a vast symbol open to interpretation. For so many people, trees provide emotional support and comfort, shelter, aesthetic pleasure, wonderment and awe. They remind us to breathe, to appreciate life and its natural beauty. There is a fascination and appreciation for trees that seems fundamental to our being.
Lora Fosberg, You and Me, 2015, wood and gouache, 10” x 6” x 6”
For “Roots,” Linda Warren has asked these 18 gallery artists in this exhibition to write a few words about why trees have figured so prominently within their oeuvre. Their responses proved to be as unique and as varied as the work that is on display. Accompanying the exhibition will be a limited edition artist book containing their candid, written responses.
In conjunction with “Roots,” gallery artist Lora Fosberg presents her eighth solo exhibition at Linda Warren Projects, “More Trees Please” in Gallery X. The imagery of the tree has also figured largely throughout Fosberg’s oeuvre as a metaphor for nature in its frequently adversarial relationship with mankind. In previous exhibitions at the gallery, Fosberg has explored mankind’s toll on the environment, as well as the devastating effect of nature’s disasters on humans. But here, the artist forgoes the oppositional dialogue, instead focusing on the wider notions of life, death and survival that all living things share. While Fosberg is primarily a two-dimensional artist, she has shifted her focus for this exhibition, with a body of work that pairs paintings and drawings with sculpture. Here, found logs are hollowed out and lined with multicolored collage pieces and hand lettered texts; cut branches are painted with rainbow-colored, concentric rings. The deadened wooden fragments are contrasted by bursts of color, balancing lifelessness with vivid positivity.
Lora Fosberg has exhibited widely throughout the United States and abroad. Recent solo exhibitions include Kayo Gallery in Salt Lake City, Jack Fischer Gallery in San Francisco, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago and the Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids, MI. Fosberg received her BFA from the University of Illinois, Champaign, IL and her MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Fosberg’s work is in the holdings of such collections as Kirkland & Ellis and Eaton Center in Cleveland, as well as numerous prestigious private collections. Recent commissions include installations at Naha Restaurant and Brindille Restaurant, the 2015 James Beard Award Winner for Outstanding Restaurant Design.