Friends of Contemporary Art and Director's Circle Special Event
Medford Johnston: Counterpoise
and
Splendor: The Work of Jim Waters Â
VIP opening Reception:
Friday, February 7, 6:30PM
Medford Johnston, Samburu, 1988
Acrylic, modeling paste, and pencil on canvas
Overall: 60 x 45in. (152.4 x 114.3cm), Framed/Mounted: 63 3/4 x 48 x 2 3/8in. (161.9 x 121.9 x 6cm)
Anonymous gift through the 20th Century Art Acquisition Fund
1988.45
© Medford Johnston
Counterpoise presents works by Atlanta-based artist Medford Johnston produced between 1987 and 1990, which are based on a trip he made to Tanzania and Kenya. Â Johnstonâs paintings convey in an abstract visual vocabulary his impressions of the Samburu, Kikuyu, and Masai cultures and feature variations on a theme inspired by Masai walking staffs, used for balance while herding cattle, and as a protective weapon. The jagged contour of the staff in juxtaposition with the graceful poise of its owner, silhouetted against the horizon of East African plains, inspired Johnstonâs years-long study of balance, counterbalance, and dissonance in the interdependent relationship between people and nature.
Jim Waters, Untitled, 2013
Acrylic and vinyl on panel
Dimensions various
Courtesy of the artist
© Jim Waters
Splendor presents new work by Atlanta-based artist Jim Waters featuring a site-specific installation and drawings from the past five years. Â Waters uses materials such as glitter, resin, and holographic vinyl in his work to amplify the symbolic potential of form while eliciting an emotional response from viewers. His imagery suggests a symbiotic relationship between the natural and artificial âbetween geometric shapes and complex organic structures, and those in between. Their seemingly inexhaustible transmutations prompt a reflection on beauty, both aesthetic and spiritual, as conveyed by their simplicity of form, their subtlety of surface, and the resplendent radiance of their materiality.