Review: Untitled exhibit at balance Jessica Slentz November 30, 2007-January 8, 2008 In a city such as Rochester (New York), known for its talented artists and renowned galleries, it is possible for the opening of a small, new gallery to go unnoticed, especially amidst the hoopla of holiday festivities. The inception of the gallery at balance in East Rochester, however, is too excellent to go unnoticed and too impressive to be overlooked. Brilliantly curated, balances' unnamed first exhibition brings together four artists - from high-profile Rochester sculptress, Raphaela McCormack, to newly acclaimed photographer Carla Coots-Rodriguez - in a juxtaposition that creates a tension between the work both thematically and materially, but also draws the whole together to create a unity, a balance, that enhances the emotion behind each individual piece. Raphaela McCormack, who has been featured at the Memorial Art Gallery, throughout western New York, and in her native Ireland, specializes in what she calls "paper vessels." These ornate sculptures, fashioned from handmade paper, dyes, found wood, wound cord, beads and other sundry organic materials, possess a mythical quality that draws the viewer into the story the "vessel" holds. McCormack used the scents, sounds and natural "root language" of the ocean of Ireland, and of literary folklore to study the idea of "interior and exterior" life, and the implications of the word "vessel" itself. A vessel can contain, can inter, can ornament and, as in the case of McCormack's aptly named Spirit Well, can be drawn from. McCormack's work speaks as much from what is unseen and unsaid as from the dramatic colors, textures and recognizable themes that each piece exhibits. Further drawing on the concept of the vessel, Julie Bero-Emerson's watercolor paintings, done in earthy colors on handmade paper, closely examine the chaos and tranquility of femininity. Perhaps understated in Bero-Emerson's discussion of her own work, there is a strong undercurrent of fertility in her simple, yet stirring paintings - the female form portrayed as a vessel not only for life itself, but for a wide range of conflicting emotions. Bero-Emerson began her painting career as a landscape artist, and her current work is a study of "form as landscape." As an exploration of what women really "see when they look in the mirror," her work shows a friction between the fluid line of the female landscape and the harsh realities of a less spiritual outside world. In contrast to the ethereal femininity of Bero-Emerson's watercolors stand Darryl Abraham's down-to-earth vignettes of rural, and often masculine, American life. His series of watercolors are snapshots of activity, from the bustle of a family farm to the almost audible raucous of a country barn dance. In addition to his watercolors, Abraham, who is on exhibition at the Smithsonian, works in "wood, clay, lost wax, metal and paint" to create sculptures which, again, are captured activity. The texture of his paintings and sculptures lend perfectly to the tangibility of his scenes - the corn harvest, a classic American circus, the yearning of a hard-working man for a moment with nature. If Abraham creates whole scenes of everyday life, photographer Carla Coots-Rodriguez does precisely the opposite, distilling from those scenes one powerful fragment in a way that gives each small treasure a life of its own. A study of the beauty of the unseen, Rodriguez's use of light and color draws "meditative" attention to usually ordinary or overlooked sights, things we perhaps take for granted, but that are the essence of the larger whole. Her work speaks directly to the reaction of the self to one's surroundings. In addition to an awareness of the work displayed, the viewer is encouraged to consciously examine his or her own response to it. Dealing largely with nature and environment, Rodriguez's photographs convey the artist's instinctual understanding of her world and to the balance of light and shadow that gives it peace. A native of Leroy, New York, and a newcomer to the Rochester art scene, Rodriguez is worth seeking out. balance is a center for holistic healing with the gallery located upstairs, and its owners new to the art world. Both licensed acupuncturists, Ric and Laura Chey-Warren have made an impressive entrance into the community of gallery owners in Rochester. Ric Warren described their experience as "a learning curve," but one would never expect this was the first show that they have curated. Well lit, well hung, and professionally organized, the final result is a show that is cohesive, engaging, thought-provoking and, well, balanced. A fantastic combination of the physical, spiritual, masculine, feminine, tangible and imagined, this exhibit, which runs until January 8, 2008, is one you won't want to miss and the gallery at balance is well worth our notice.
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