Intergalactic Planetary

Open Wed, Thurs 1-5pm, Sat 12-4pm and by appointment

In Intergalactic Planetary, artist Jennifer Zackin weaves colorful rope and scraps of fabric through late 20th century lawn furniture and tractor seats to create portals to new perspectives. Shown alongside neon works on paper, the exhibition embodies a joyfully defiant attitude and multidimensional curiosity akin to the 1998 Beastie Boys hit, “Intergalactic,” which is the namesake of the show.

The chairs Zackin uses in these works serve as a marker of a particular era, but she transforms the familiar objects with color and pattern, creating gravity-defying, day-glow sculptures reminiscent of underwater-like worlds, mountain ranges, escape hatches, and refuges. These chairs are part of Zackin’s ongoing Vortex Weaving series, and use a process of hand-knotting and weaving inspired by the handwork of traditional weavers with whom the artist studied while living in rural India and Peru. Like a Vortex, Zackin strives to create an axis of energy in her work with the power to pull us from our current perspective, opening to other possibilities.

Alongside these woven sculptures, works on paper help drive home the theme of transformation. The drawings are intuitive, abstract color studies. Some were created to support the development of the sculptures. Others use color and pattern to ruminate on the interconnected nature of the natural world. Still others are themselves Vortex Weavings – paper punctured with thread into intuitive shapes and patterns. By showing these drawings alongside the Vortex Weaving pieces, the work invites conversations about the intersection between fiber, sculpture, and painting.

Finally, in conjunction with the exhibition, the gallery will present a participatory communal weaving project on May 24th at the Old Dutch Church Yard during the O+ 365: A Benefit to Support O+’s Year-Round Clinic. Visitors are invited to weave together, contributing to a large-scale Vortex Weaving designed to bring the community together.

https://www.jenniferzackin.com