A Romance Of…: Curated by Mallory Ruymann & Leah Triplett Harrington

5 January - 12 February 2023
Overview

Romance implies an object of affection through which and alongside we transform ourselves. Artmaking always involves an element of metamorphoses; paint, ceramics, ink, ideas - the materials of art shift in process, becoming something greater than what it was. Perhaps more so than other materials, wood possesses an untouchable formal agency in both its natural and human-altered states. Of nature and with potential to appear artificial; seemingly still and static yet constantly swelling and dispeling moisture; living, even after its death. Brimming with contradictory qualities, wood as a medium is anything but generic. The ineffability of wood offers a seductive proposition to artists concerned with materiality. 

 

A Romance Of... explores the allure of wood in the practices of Cathy Della Lucia (Boston, MA) and Elspeth Schulze (Tulsa, Oklahoma). Approaching the material with care, Della Lucia and Schulze perform a love affair in their studios. In their tender hands, aided by chisels, saws, and progressive carving technologies, wood undergoes a metamorphosis. Suggesting artificial and biological forms, Della Lucia and Schulze's works appear porous and fibrous, allowing expansion and contraction, breathing, as if a body. Wood is romanced into mimetic forms, coming alive to possibility of fleshy feeling, both hard and soft. 

 

UPCOMING EVENTS:
Instagram Live Exhibition Tour @abigailogilvy feat. Cathy Della Lucia: Saturday, January 21, 2-3 pm
First Friday Closing Celebration: Friday, February 3, 5-7 pm (In-Person)
In-Person Exhibition Panel moderated by Alison Croney Moses: Saturday, February 4, 2-3 pm
Instagram Live Exhibition Tour @abigailogilvy feat. Elspeth Schulze: Sunday, February 5, 2-3 pm

Installation Views
Works
  • Cathy Della Lucia, Give Me Gravy Tonight, 2022
    Cathy Della Lucia, Give Me Gravy Tonight, 2022
  • Cathy Della Lucia, Snowballs and Makgeolli on Hallasan, 2019
    Cathy Della Lucia, Snowballs and Makgeolli on Hallasan, 2019
    $ 2,000.00
    Cathy Della Lucia, Snowballs and Makgeolli on Hallasan, 2019
    $ 2,000.00
  • Cathy Della Lucia, Zero Days to Expiration, 2020
    Cathy Della Lucia, Zero Days to Expiration, 2020
  • Cathy Della Lucia, Life Saving Device, 2022
    Cathy Della Lucia, Life Saving Device, 2022
  • Cathy Della Lucia, Spirit Amnesia, 2022
    Cathy Della Lucia, Spirit Amnesia, 2022 Sold
  • Cathy Della Lucia, Raw and Fleshy Shrine with Blue Stripe, 2019
    Cathy Della Lucia, Raw and Fleshy Shrine with Blue Stripe, 2019 Sold
  • Cathy Della Lucia, Gatekeeper, 2022
    Cathy Della Lucia, Gatekeeper, 2022 Sold
  • Cathy Della Lucia, Shrine to the Chuseok Shrine, 2019
    Cathy Della Lucia, Shrine to the Chuseok Shrine, 2019 Sold
  • Cathy Della Lucia, Close to Hedged, 2020
    Cathy Della Lucia, Close to Hedged, 2020
  • Cathy Della Lucia, Plus a Pocketful of Purple Rice, 2019
    Cathy Della Lucia, Plus a Pocketful of Purple Rice, 2019 Sold
  • Elspeth Schulze, Split Circle (graine à voler), 2022
    Elspeth Schulze, Split Circle (graine à voler), 2022
  • Elspeth Schulze, Mirrored Split Meander (Palmetto), 2022
    Elspeth Schulze, Mirrored Split Meander (Palmetto), 2022
  • Elspeth Schulze, Tall Split Arch (graine à voler), 2022
    Elspeth Schulze, Tall Split Arch (graine à voler), 2022 Sold
  • Elspeth Schulze, Silhouette Arch (graine à voler), 2022
    Elspeth Schulze, Silhouette Arch (graine à voler), 2022 Sold
  • Elspeth Schulze, Paired Split Arch (graine à voler), 2022
    Elspeth Schulze, Paired Split Arch (graine à voler), 2022 Sold