MYRANDA GILLIES // primary motions

On view September 3 - September 28, 2014
Opening reception First Friday, September 5 (6–8 p.m.)

Primary Motions, an exhibition of new work by Myranda Gillies curated by Gabi Lewton-Leopold, speaks to a fascination with natural phenomena and a desire to replicate and solidify collected objects and moments.

For her woven Fades, Gillies works with sunset imagery culled from her personal archive and the internet—an image search of “sunset” reveals a pervasive cultural obsession. As the loom acts as a printer of sorts, the completed Fades have a pixilated quality—a network of fibers shifting in tone and coalescing into abstraction.  

Gillies’s brass lava rocks recall the staple item of any childhood collection of natural objects; the old age and physical lightness of volcanic rock is always a revelation. By casting them in brass, Gillies alters their basic significance, creating an object that will perhaps outlive and replace its source material. Within Primary Motions, the brass rocks are displayed in a small heap amongst their natural counterparts. This quiet gesture is Gillies’s contribution to an ongoing conversation concerning distorted reproduction and visual perception.

Primary Motions also considers the sculptural and conceptual possibilities of weaving, while referencing past traditions and processes. In New Born Free, a woven linen tapestry, synthetic hair extensions replace the horsehair often found in native weavings. As the word “weave” takes on a dual meaning, unexpected materials combined with established craft practices make for a visually compelling and humorous perspective.

BIO
Myranda Gillies lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. She holds a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Gillies has exhibited in Chicago, New York, and Philadelphia. This is her first exhibition in Portland, Oregon, her hometown.

To request a price list for this exhibition, please email info@nationale.us