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| Sleep to Dream (2011) by Stella Im Hultberg |
When rousing from a vivid dream, the awakened mind echoes with the whispers and unravelling figments of unconscious desires and dreads. The disjointed narratives of our slumbering spirit fade and grow still, but leave a lingering resonance, a haunting sense of another place that can only be entered through the gateways of sleep. This is the feeling that Thinkspace Gallery's exhibit "In the Wake of Dreams" seems to be evoking.
The show features the art of Amy Sol, Audrey Kawasaki, Mari Inukai, and Stella Im Hultberg. Each artist deals primarily with figural depictions, signifying the beings of the "dreamspace" be it the dreamer or the subject of the dream. With distinct approaches to aesthetic oneiromancy, these artists explore the complexity of identity within the illogical realms of the night.
Stella Im Hultberg is the most traditionally western in her studies of a single raven-tressed woman. Her style has vague symbolist hints, but steers clear of the ornamentation and opulence that characterizes such art. Her images have a placid but deep simplicity in which the dreamer becomes a disembodied visage. Meanwhile, the awakened self is wrapped in lush fabrics that weigh upon the her like the memories of profound imaginings.
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| Sea Mallow (2011) by Amy Sol |
The Self as traveler in an idyllic dreamscape is the premise of Amy Sol's work. Whether it's reading tea leaves in the bough of a great tree alongside a giant bird or watching sea monsters frolic upon a moonlit loch, the dreamer experiences a fantasy realm of peace and amity. Technically, her utilization of the wood grain within the composition gives the work an organic feel. The natural patterns of the material give the paintings depth and a sense of vitality to the featureless setting.
