Objects in Motion

Detail of The Shallows (2012) by Korin Faught

I had the opportunity to visit the Corey Helford Gallery in Culver City, where the current exhibit is a group show, "Motion: The Art of Movement", which runs until June 30. This blog has featured many of the artists on display in this show, including Eric Joyner, Korin Faught, Ray Caesar, and Sylvia Ji. So, it was a pleasure to see new works from them.

Although I definitely enjoyed the show, I can't say that the theme of "movement" was compellingly explored. Certainly, in some works, there was some sort of obvious physical motion, a rocket ship zooming through space or the wind blowing through the subject's hair. In other works, the movement was psychological, represented by multiple figures or ghostly trailing images. And then there were works that featured compositional techniques that put the eye into a sense of motion, with radiating lines of color or stretched and distorted figures.

Detail of Cold Spell by Billy Norrby

For certain, each piece contained motion, be it physical, psychological, or technical. My question regards premise; is the movement central or incidental to the composition? For me, in too many pieces, the work contained, but was not about, motion.

But that doesn't mean it was a weak show, not by any means. The art was every bit as awesome as I've come to expect at Corey Helford's. Although the ostensible theme is not very compelling, I highly recommend this exhibit; the individual works are strong.

Detail of Space Patrol by Eric Joyner


Of course, I'm always in support of any showcasing of robots and doughnuts. ;-)

Voices of the Lake

Still Waters by Korin Faught

I had the opportunity to see Korin Faught's show "Voices of the Lake" at the Corey Helford Gallery in Culver City. Faught has a distinct image vocabulary and superb technique. Her imagery is captivating in both its beauty and mystery. It is an excellent exhibit, running until September 21st.

The use of duplicates is a common theme in Faught's work, but this show adds an additional twist with reflections in the water. It creates a complex psychological dialogue between the "real" figures and then between the "real" and the "reflected" figures. Moreover, the figures interact with the water not just as a mirror, but as a physical presence into which they are immersed.

So, let's consider the painting above, Still Waters. The title is reference to the phrase "Still waters run deep." This means that a person who shows a placid demeanor may actually have complex and forceful passions beneath the surface facade. And so it is that we have the figure of a young lady in triplicate, each of which display a different emotion towards a subject out of view to the figures right. The first seems to display a body language of yearning. The second expresses trepidation. The third leans away from the subject of her view with a sense of resigned detachment.

It's as if the figures are thinking "I desire this but I'm afraid to try for it. So I will not even attempt it. Instead, I will be content with viewing it."

The emotional impotency of these figures is further emphasized by the fact that they are stuck in the water. The reflections and empty background make them seem like lost, spectral beings. They are full of passion, but alienated from their ability to act upon it.

Soulless by Korin Faught

This sense of alienation is further emphasized in Soulless. This woman has been overwhelmed by the waters, as indicated by her drenched appearance. Moreover, she has no internal dialectic, as indicated by the lack of duplicate figures. Furthermore, the background has gone black, with only a distant light source that shines only upon her. With a questioning, confused posture, this lonely lady becomes an image of perdition.