Blue Star Contemporary Art Center, San Antonio

Blue Star Contemporary Art Center,
San Antonio - Texas USA

Crossovers: Materials and Metaphors
Featuring Joan Hall & Ivano Vitali; curated by Meredith Dean

Dec 9, 2010 - Feb 12, 2011
Main Gallery

At first sight the works of Ivano Vitali and Joan Hall appear to address quite diverse aesthetic concerns. Their working methods are notably different and include cutting with a scalpel for one, and careful tearing for the other: active attack on the one hand and pensive consideration on the other (the viewer can decide which is which). On closer observation, however, the crossovers of conceptual, technical and formal elements allow the works to converse and converge on many levels. The obvious elements that connect both bodies of work are paper - both handmade and recycled - and a means of construction using intertwined and knotted lines to create their sculptures.

Joan Hall has long produced prints and sculptures created from handmade paper and her work brings to mind the long history and flexibility of this beautiful medium. Combined with paper she also uses discarded flotsam, frequently picked up on various beaches or found floating in the ocean.

Ivano Vitali creates objects from mass media paper, newspapers, journals, and the like. These "found" papers are carefully fabricated into various threads and yarns, which become the basis for his sculptures. His artistic work is closely linked to the historical Italian tradition of fine craftsmanship and the materials are reminiscent of Arte Povera.

The work of both artists resonates with the metaphorical power and unexpected beauty of discarded daily ephemera to visually communicate overlapping concerns about the fragility of our world, the environment and the conservation of our planet.

Meredith Dean