One major subset of modernist art is known for clean lines, elementary forms and pristine surfaces. Everything indirect, inessential and, above all, historical has been stripped away. But there’s a charm to well-used old things, with their patinas, blemishes and hidden strata. Such aspects can be emulated, and even simulated. Three local artists — Cianne Fragione, Julie Wolfe and Khanh H. Le — are doing that in various ways in current shows.
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The Washington Post - In the Galleries: An Exhibition That Draws Attention to Overlooked Issues
The seven artists and two projects featured in Greater Reston Arts Center’s “Overlooked” may or may not be neglected, but that’s not the meaning of the show’s title. Rather, the word refers to ignored or discounted issues the artworks address. Although many of the participants begin with personal concerns, they intend “to give voice to those who may not have opportunities to speak,” according to the exhibition catalogue.
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"Constructed Situations" on view at the American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center. ©Julie Wolfe
The Washington Post - In the Galleries: Remapping the Boundaries of Drawing
Theoretical and actual also contend in Julie Wolfe’s sprawling “Quest for a Third Paradise,” upstairs at the same venue. Included are one of the local artist’s “Green Rooms,” an array of bottles filled with water samples dosed with extracts and chemicals. The infusions yield intense hues that Wolfe echoes in paintings, drawings and a collage that creates a color wheel from covers of books and pamphlets.
The third paradise the D.C. artist seeks is one in which nature, technology and humanity all flourish. She evokes this in pictures that suggest both organic and electronic systems, or by juxtaposing black-and-white photos with areas of pure color. In video close-ups of water, Wolfe celebrates the organic world’s continual flux. Yet her hard-edge pieces display a parallel enthusiasm for the archetypal.
Washington Post: Artist’s Colorful ‘Science Project’ is a Commentary on World’s Water Supply
Housed in some 500 glass bottles stacked on metal shelves, the water, sediment and vegetation samples on display in the window of 1700 L St. NW look like a science project. But the contents of the jars, illuminated from behind, also glow with vivid reds, purples and blues, resembling a color-field painting that has been disassembled and liquefied...