ArtSpace Gallery

Shane Booth: Vulnerability's Groom

The gritty self-portraits that are Shane Booth's Vulnerability's Groom are at once intriguing and resonant with meaning. Even without a knowledge of Booth’s intended subject matter there is a conveyed feeling of helplessness and shame that is carried throughout the pieces. The work is a commentary on HIV, with various ideas on the subject matter portrayed through individual pieces. A number of the shots use an archaic “dunce hat” to speak of the pointlessness in acquiring a disease that could be easily averted. Other shots convey the isolation and despair that accompany a life lived on the threshold of death. Although the imagery is well thought-out and quite moving, the quality of the prints left something to be desired. The large-scale prints were too big for the size of the digital files, producing visible noise in some of the shadows. Higher quality prints on a smaller scale, perhaps matted and/or framed, would have taken this work to the next level and given it the voice that it deserves.






Martin McFadden: Transitions

Transitions, a collection of square photographs by Martin McFadden, is a proposed look at the changes that have taken place in Berlin since the city's destruction during WWII. Comprised mostly of images of graffiti-filled walls, the work does not imply a transition to me- as there is no visual representation of the before state from which the transition is taking place. The collection of photographs also lacks continuity. While the majority are comprised of graffiti, there are a few that seem out of place and one in particular-Many Colors, a great shot of a unique building- that sticks out like a sore thumb. A few of the graffiti shots are cropped in to close. While these close-ups may be interesting, there is not enough information and they do not aid the flow of the work as a whole. The most compelling images are the ones that are taken from a bit farther back, showing the graffiti integrated with the structures it inhabits. Had all the images been along these lines the show would have been much more concise, although a name change may still be in order.






Noelle Gray: Figures in Abstract

The oil paintings that comprise Noelle Gray's Figures in Abstract are perhaps the strongest pieces, and most unified collective work, currently in the ArtSpace Gallery. The paintings, all consisting of one nude female form, are well executed and well thought out. Gray uses the female body, stripped of all softness and adornment, to convey raw emotion. In each piece, the choice of color, paint texture, and brush stroke pattern are used intentionally to sculpt the mood and overall feeling of the work. Backgrounds are abstracted in many, as to draw the viewers eye straight to the figure. The pieces are well presented in the space, with like textures adjoining. This is a wonderful example of what painting, as well as art in general, can do to both portray and elicit powerful emotion.