unwritten 2009

Risë Nagin
Gestures 12: May 9 – June 21, 2009
Materials
textiles, paint

All buildings have an essential principle (spirit/character) that presents to those who enter and spend time there.

Artist Statement

All buildings have an essential principle (spirit/character) that presents to those who enter and spend time there. The interior of 1414 Monterey Street invites one to linger, to pay attention. In choosing a location for an installation, I wanted to develop a work in concert with the qualities of the house and the permanent collection: to follow the essential principle. What struck me was how each work in the collection relates intimately to the architecture, making use of some characteristic aspect of the room in which it is located. Subtle, economic, often beautiful installations wait to be discovered, emerging unexpectedly from the body of the building. The presence of the human hand is evident. Qualities of light and space that are taken for granted become central. The second room of Alan Wexler’s Bed Sitting Room for an Artist in Residence is peaceful, flooded with light so beautiful it has presence. Time is suspended. Something shared but private, positive and embracing is sensed. unwritten employs the qualities of light, fabric and architecture to evoke the experience of this place.

About the Artist
Risë Nagin’s textiles, drawings and books have been exhibited internationally and are represented in museums, corporate and private collections in the United States, Japan and Europe. Honors include the PCA 1993 Artist of the Year and a PA Arts Council Fellowship.