Written by Nicole Gaudier
Leslie Robison‘s works, Rush and Periphery, will be in the Our Shared Past exhibition, on view in the Stein Gallery from December 17, 2013 to May 25, 2014.
A statement from the Artist:
Leslie Robison, Periphery, 2013, from the film still Boys, Oil on wood panel
“The images I chose to make into paintings did not immediately reveal their secrets to me. While I was intrigued by the slightly odd compositions and the colors involved, it wasn’t until I was in the middle of the second painting before I realized how separate everyone is in these images. While the boys in Periphery seem to share an awareness of each other and their surroundings, the space between them is unbreachable. These boys do not look at the viewer just as the boy on the slide is lost in his own activity and other isolated and unseen figures rush by in cars.
Leslie Robison, Rush, 2013, from the film still A Landing Stuck, Oil on wood panel
These insulated situations mirror the nostalgic longing one feels in the presence of old family photos and vintage ephemera, a longing to engage with the unreachable past. Our condition is one of wanting to have knowledge and connections. At least in part, Our Shared Past seems to be an attempt to create these connections and address our communal wanting. By focusing on isolation, Periphery and Rush magnify the loneliness of our desires”
There will be artist appearances at the Stein Gallery January through April. Each Saturday, artists from the exhibition will be in the Gallery from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Others will make appearances throughout the day on Weaver Free Saturdays, and on Tuesday evenings during the exhibition.
