Land Lines
Land Lines: Christopher Hassig, George Kozmon, Ellen Moershel, Heather Patterson, Ben Strawn, Christopher Warren
Walker Fine Art
300 West 11th Ave Unit A (enter on Cherokee Street), Denver, CO 80204
September 25-November 7, 2020
Admission: Free
Review by Courtney Lindly
Walker Fine Art’s latest exhibition Land Lines, showcasing work by six of their gallery artists, dives into the various aspects of and concepts surrounding cartography. As a contemporary art gallery, Walker embraces nuance. [1] With diligent curation the gallery draws upon artists’ inspirations and in this case brings together six very different artists for an engaging and varied show focused on the meanings and aesthetics of maps.
Exhibitions Manager Eliza Ross states: “The initial concept of the exhibition started with the idea of a bird’s eye view combined with mapmaking… These artist’s combined real or imagined views from above with the traditional craft of cartography.” The artists draw influences from the natural world via reinterpreting mechanisms of record keeping and maps, displaying the landscape of invented worlds, examining the history of Colorado, looking at Polynesian methods of mapping navigation, and more.
An installation view and close-up view of Christopher Warren, Colorado Fourteener Collection, laser-cut acrylic, variable dimensions. Images by DARIA.
Christopher Warren—who goes by beatnikprints outside of the gallery space—creates works inspired by America’s topography. As visitors enter the exhibition, they are greeted by Warren’s reflective acrylic wall installation Colorado Fourteener Collection, which displays every 14,000 foot peak in the state accompanied by a legend. His other works include Flatiron and Devil’s Tower 3-D sculptures as well as two framed pieces illustrating modified landscapes comprised of layered, laser-cut mat board titled Plowshare and The Nipple.
Warren maps time and place with Plowshare, which shows the history of nuclear fracking in Colorado—specifically, a project in the early 1970s which attempted to find a use for nuclear weapons. The repetition of color and line create patterns alluding to these underground explosions from Colorado’s past that changed the physical and figurative landscape of the state. A recent edition to Walker’s stable of artists, Christopher Warren brings with him a stirring use of abstraction that is intrinsically tied to the land and the people who make their (at times destructive) impression upon it.
Heather Patterson, Open Space, mixed media on panel, 40 x 60 inches. Image courtesy of Walker Fine Art.
Heather Patterson creates enticingly complex paintings which draw viewers in, begging them to take a closer look. Patterson’s work in Land Lines builds upon her usual themes which include aerial views, topographic maps lines, cellular structures, lichen, and more. The artist states,
“…I wanted the work to be a mapping of the landscape as I see it and a hope to preserve our natural resources. The overview effect is a cognitive shift in awareness reported by astronauts while in viewing the earth from outer space. In this shift from reality, they [astronauts] realize the fragility of earth and the need to protect life on earth becomes both obvious and imperative… Focusing on the human impact on the environment, my work is a documentation of the forever changing elements in the natural topography of our landscape…” [2]
Patterson’s works fit well with the exhibition’s themes as she works with macro and micro types of mapping, producing forms which are reminiscent of thinly-frozen ice, microscopic fungal spores, constellations, and honeycombs. Intuitive processes lead the artist to produce works that are compositionally balanced and full of depth.
Ellen Moershel, Field Guide, gouache on paper, 35 x 27 inches. Image courtesy of Walker Fine Art.
Paintings by Ben Strawn on display at Walker Fine Art. From left to right: Hornet’s Nest, mixed media on canvas, 68 x 69 inches; Smoke Signals, mixed media on canvas, 81 x 33 inches; Pine Cones and Passages, mixed media on canvas, 56 x 48 inches; Napoleon’s Rocking Horse, mixed media on canvas, 42 x 36 inches; and A Good Orange, mixed media on canvas, 60 x 48 inches. Image courtesy of Walker Fine Art.
Land Lines delves further into abstraction through the works of artists Ellen Moershel and Ben Strawn. Moershel’s work is light and whimsical. As an artist deeply inspired by the natural world, she seeks not to imitate but to reinterpret nature in her gouache on paper paintings, which at times are reminiscent of Antoni Gaudí’s well known trencadís technique. Strawn’s latest mixed media works began with an initial interest in aerial views and have since expanded to include pinecones and Polynesian stick charts. He seeks to tap into psychological, emotional, and energetic frequencies with his use of the traditional artistic elements of color, shape, and brushstroke. According to his statement, the artist sees his works as “freed from the literal.” Both Moershel and Strawn pull from the everyday and from the concept and process of cartography to manipulate, make, and manifest their own distinctive bodies of work.
Works by Christopher Hassig on display at Walker Fine Art. From left to right: Okepalung in Yellow (Ralesis), copper-plate monoprint etching, 30 x 22 inches; Quorim Quorim in Red (Ralesis), copper-plate monoprint etching, 30 x 22 inches; Pietro, Loosey, Govi and Tata Islands in Green (Ralesis), copper-plate monoprint etching, 30 x 22 inches; and Ralesis, Saiopor IV, copper-plate monoprint etching with resin, 48 x 108 inches. Image by DARIA.
A detail image of Christopher Hassig, Ralesis, Saiopor IV, copper-plate monoprint etching with resin, 48 x 108 inches. Image by Courtney Lindly.
Approaching the furthest wall in the exhibition, visitors encounter monoprint etchings by Chris Hassig. These are part of a lifelong project that Hassig began in adolescence. He constructs his fantasy world with painstaking detail using traditional methods of cartography to articulately render prints displayed on 12 panels titled Ralesis, Saiopor IV. Accompanied by three circular prints in green, red, and yellow which show greater detail, these works allow viewers to meander through a land which parallels our own yet it is, unfortunately, out of reach. Hassig has not only provided the customary artist’s statement but has also included three “walking tours” of his world which guide viewers through the invented maps he has created.
In bringing these artists together, Walker Fine Art has curated a show which allows us to see the many ways that maps help us make sense of our world. Maps allow us to codify and break down our reality into more tangible and digestible segments. Maps allow us to understand the ever present chaos which seems to persist in our individual human experiences. Through the eyes of these contemporary artists we are able to view our world in a new light and see overlooked beauties which persist through the looming unknown. As we walk through Land Lines we’re able to take in what has been, what may be, and what is our current reality.
Courtney Lindly is a recent graduate from University of Denver with a B.A. in Art History— focusing on modern and contemporary art—and Business Administration. She is fascinated by the complexities surrounding art appreciation and exchange, specifically the global art market. She enjoys making accessible opportunities for creative experiences and a strong cup of black coffee.
[1] The gallery has been able to adapt to COVID-19 changes as well, introducing new online experiences to accommodate guests and provide a comprehensive view of exhibitions and works. Since March 2020, prior to a show’s opening, the gallery uploads videos of each exhibit to their YouTube Channel, allowing their visitors an inside look whether they choose to view works in person on a quiet afternoon or purely virtually. On their website, Walker also provides online viewing rooms, artist talks, and virtual tours of several of their past shows.
[2] “Artist Spotlight: Heather Patterson,” September 15, 2020, Walker Fine Art Gallery, https://www.youtube.com/watch v=VJyHTKfTuKw&ab_channel=WalkerFineArtGallery.
