Curating Out of Bounds
Jennifer McGregor, curator
Hilda Shen, Recurrent River, 2005. Ink, paper, wax, 6 1/2’x 26 1/2′. Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Stefan Hagen
During January and February of this year, Glyndor House was the site of intensive transformation, inhabited by artists creating installations that engage the interior spaces and vistas in unlikely ways. The projects are influenced directly by the experience of the garden in winter–when the winds rip through the bare trees, and the raking light, reflected off the snow-covered lawn, permeates the rooms. Wave Hill and its relationship to the Hudson River, the Bronx, and New York City is the starting point for the artists of "Out of Bounds." Though these artists might begin with specific places, they employ distinct methods of abstraction and innovation to push the notion of landscape beyond the traditional frame.
Each artist has developed a unique way of looking at the landscape and an engaging process to create his or her project. Both Geraldine Lau and Lucas Monaco took a cartographical approach. Lau uses the language of maps to create a composition that transfers symbols to a distinctly three-dimensional space–the four walls of the stairwell. In his triptych, Monaco adapted multiple perspectives of the Bronx to reveal both the natural substructure and the compounded layers of growth. The built environment is also of interest to Amy Chan who painted houses, commercial buildings and landforms in the entrance foyer in a manner that on first glance resembles wallpaper. The distinct interior spaces affected Jeffrey Gibson whose alluring installation gushes from under the spiral staircase, and Amy Yoes whose unruly ornamental treatment of the sunroom mimics patterns in nature. Working in the moment, inspired by the surroundings, Yvonne Estrada created a densely layered drawing-based project, while Vargas-Suarez Universal camouflaged an entire room with paint. The natural features of Wave Hill’s landscape influenced each artist, but specifically Hilda Shen, who responded to the Hudson River, and Ulrike Heydenreich, who developed her panorama drawings on site last summer.
It was a pleasure to share the space with the artists during the past six weeks and to watch the projects develop with sincere concentration and imagination. As this exhibition spans from blustery March through balmy May, visitors will have the opportunity to experience the changing light within the house and the garden views through the dynamic frame provided by each project.
"Out of Bounds" includes works by Amy Chan, Yvonne Estrada, Jeffrey Gibson, Ulrike Heydenreich, Geraldine Lau, Lucas Monaco, Hilda Shen, Vargas-Suarez Universal and Amy Yoes.
"Out of Bounds" opened March 5 and will be on display at the Wave Hill Glyndor Gallery through May 30, 2005.
