Summary of Evidence
Summary of Evidence is a large format, conceptual installation composed of 100 pages from a book published in 1939 by the Paleontologist, William Matthews. In this book, Climate and Evolution, Matthews proposed a theory devoted to a discussion focused on the effect of climate cycles upon organic evolution.
Stained with chlorophyll, and then exposed to varying degrees of sunlight, the book pages present a gradient of intensity of the (green) color. This variation indicates a unique ordering, or taxonomy, as if each page represents a different plant species or history associated with a past life of a plant species. The installation also provides a double sensory experience as the room is filled with the earthy scent of chlorophyll.
Chlorophyll is the natural compound present in green plants that gives them their color. It helps plants to absorb energy from the sun as they undergo the process of photosynthesis.
The Glow is one of the events of the Laconica biennial of visual art. The Biennial was conceived as a space and a platform for artists who develop minimal/minimalist ways of thinking, using such keywords as reduction of form, reserved narrative, abstractness, aesthetics of silence, etc. The events of the 2021 Laconica Biennial were interested in the links between monochrome and minimalist poetry. This year's exhibitions focus on the field of phenomena of colour and olfactory (scents) art.
Opening reception: 6 October, 6 pm at Pamėnkalnio Gallery (Pamėnkalnio g. 1, Vilnius) and 12 October, 6 pm at Vartai Gallery (Vilniaus g. 39, Vilnius).
Apophenia
Apophenia, begins with an index of objects, an encyclopedia of taxonomies, pulled from the studio's of fellow artists as well as from my own collection. This section speaks to the "how" and "why" artists have a tendency to collect and hold onto random, inanimate objects for unknown reasons.
"My artists books are rooted in a practice of free image association, the aesthetics of visual data, and reference our dream lives, the evolution of systems found in nature, and social / cultural history. The arrangement and order is charged with new associative values situated in new contexts and serves markers of time and place.
The index of objects at the start of the book plays into this mix and represents an exploration of diverse resonances inspired by artist's surroundings and collected artifacts." -Julie Wolfe
Opposing Forces
Opposing Forces asks questions without fixed answers. Wolfe reassembles the building blocks of geometry, mathematics, color theory and perception to probe us, provoke us, and propose that images can teach us about ourselves in ways that words can not. How do we un-think color or form? What compels us, chaos or order? Are we innately drawn to one or the other and, if so, what does that say about us as we chart our experiences and reactions in the face of uncertainty.
The page spreads in Opposing Forces originated in a second-hand book on Italian Renaissance painting. Each drawing is made during the quarantine period of COVID-19 and is based on words taken out of the context of the page and translated into graphic visuals of everyday experiences, events and activities. Alongside the drawings in this series are confrontive Rorschach figures, challenging our strength, imagination and perception. Each page is documented and stamped with the date that the drawing was conceived and references specific events of the day like witnessing a pink moon, the act of social distancing, daily schedules, response to loneliness and the celebration of Earth Day.
Wildfires and Dreamfields
In Wildfires and Dreamfields, Julie Wolfe both physically and figuratively deconstructs her own book from 2019 to superimpose images that probe the power of the subconscious at a new level of intensity and unrest. This deeply inventive investigation depends on the “double exposure” of screen printing to reveal vivid, uncanny vignettes recalling our wildest dreams and our strangest visions. The experiences and stressors from waking life are exaggerated and distorted to imply ways the external world is reflected by the internal one. Imagined narratives are further transformed by this palimpsestic process: the ambiguity of the original book approaches absurdity as the already otherworldly pages take on a more hallucinatory tone. Nonetheless, the work does not attempt to deconstruct dream logic but instead celebrates its creative and nonsensical qualities. Wolfe honors the surreal cinema of our subconscious as an endless source of intrigue while we plot to reimagine and rebuild our collective existence.
Photo Source: https://hallartshotel.com/artists/julie-wolfe/
Hall Arts Hotel Dallas - Curio Collection by Hilton
Ecuador
The designer and artist Julie Wolfe visited Ecuador from September 19-27, 2011. During her tour she had the opportunity to share her knowledge and methodologies with artisans in the Ecuadorian Amazon. A group of 15 women participated in a workshop to improve their designs and techniques of jewelry for sale to tourists. This event was made possible by a collaboration with the Foundation DISMOD Sinchi Sacha, and the Fashion Institute of Design and has the support of the Embassy of the United States of America. Ms. Wolfe spent five days with artisans in the Amazon and the program culminated with the socialization of the results of the workshops. The presentation of the processes learned were shown at an event with artists, designers and craftsmen. Another event showcasing the results of the workshop were held at the Museum of Quito Mindalae on September 27, 2011.
"This program is a unique opportunity for cultural exchange. Talented women of the two countries gathered together for the betterment of a craft. The results of this meeting will be visible in art objects that travel from the Ecuadorian Amazon to the world, "said Cultural Affairs Officer Lisa Swenarski.
TAKT Artist Residency in Berlin, Germany
The Berlin/TAKT Residency is a 3 month residency in Friedrichshain, East Berlin. It is a program offered to emerging and mid-career artists so that they can explore Berlin, participate in studio critiques, gallery talks and language study while developing a body of work for a group exhibition.
UNESCO Exchange in Andorra
The main objective of the Art camp of Andorra is bringing together around thirty artists coming from 5 continents with the view to promote artistic creation and debate on the importance of the challenge presented by climatic change and all its repercussions on the planetary level as defined by the UNESCO in the framework of the celebration of the Year declared the “International Year of the Planet Earth” (IYPE). The main aim of this year is inducing the whole society to take conscience of the intimate relationship that exists between the Humanity and the Planet Earth. The so-called developed societies presently represent the biggest and fastest “non extraterrestrial factor” that can modify and alter the dynamics of our planet.
Dream Sequel Obervatory. 2018
Riso and screen printed book.
Limited edition of 20
Mass MoCA Residency
As a resident at Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, or Mass MoCA, I had a large studio on the grounds of the museum along with 9 other artists. The program is called Assets For Artists and enables artists to work independently on a proposed project, unlimited access to the museum, programming and career Counseling. During my stay I worked on some large format painted books inspired by the structures in and around the 17th Century mill factory grounds that house the country’s largest contemporary art museum. The elaborate system of bridges, viaducts, tunnels and elevated passageways were the focus of the abstract book works that I constructed.
AGA Lab Residency. 2017, 2018
AGA LAB is a creative space and laboratory for crossovers in technique, material and image. Not only for the autonomous art field, but also for the graphic, industrial and textile, digital and social design field. By being a platform, AGA LAB is the practical link between latent ideas and physical end-results – a route of specialisation, immersion and experimentation. For many artists in the graphic art world, AGA LAB is a starting point for their work and stimulates their free range and creative research. AGA LAB expressively searches for the dialogue between artists, designers and other creative professionals on social developments.
Takt Artist Residency. 2016
The Residency Program is 3 months of artist critiques, life drawing, artist talks, individual mentoring, Berlin studio visits and a curated group exhibition.
Two Coats of Paint Residency Program. 2017
In 2015, Two Coats of Paint began a small residency program for artists. The program’s goal is simply to provide a short-term space (up to one week) where artists based outside the NYC area can hang work and have studio visits with curators, other artists, and gallerists. The residency is by invitation only because space is extremely limited.
