By Elin Spring and Suzanne Révy
Time flows like a river to the sea, incessantly, but our experience of it can ebb and flow. Sometimes we try to savor a treasured moment that ends too soon, other times the clock seems to slow to a snail’s pace. The syncopations and rhythms of time as expressed in music and art conduct a spectrum of enchanting and jarring effects. The musical notes of Rebecca Skinner and David DeMelim’s work in “Fragments of Time” convey our changeable relationship with time. On view at the Fountain Street Gallery through January 31st, 2021, a virtual artist talk is scheduled for Sunday January 31st at 3pm.
Rebecca Skinner “Within” from the series Fragments of Time, courtesy of the artist and Fountain Street Gallery, Boston.
Rebecca Skinner “West Hallway” from the series Fragments in Time, courtesy of the artist and the Fountain Street Gallery, Boston.
(Featured Image) Rebecca Skinner “Anticipation” from the Fragments of Time Series, courtesy of the artist and Fountain Street Gallery.
Rebecca Skinner “Sink I through VI” from the series Fragments of Time. (Installation photograph by Suzanne Révy)
Time is the essence of music and photography alike. The elapse of time from the start to the end of a beloved song or musical composition can transport our senses and memories, just like a photograph. Rebecca Skinner’s quiet compositions of abandoned and decaying structures impart a sense of stillness and eternity. She presents her work on aluminum which endows the images with a gem-like luminance that is as serene as an Erik Satie musical composition. Her soft light and pastel palette show a desire to preserve these structures before they fade and disappear into the earth, yet she imparts a sense of wonder at their languid, unfolding decay. The presence of the past permeates the structures, calling into question how these spaces were inhabited, by whom, and ultimately, how our world will appear once we have left it.
David DeMelim “Remembering 911 (with Anthony Thomaselli)” courtesy of the artist and Fountain Street Gallery, Boston.
David DeMelim “On the BU Bridge” courtesy of the artist and Fountain Street Gallery, Boston.
David DeMelim “Staff at the Wall” courtesy of the artist and Fountain Street Gallery, Boston.
David DeMelim “Henry’s Kids (at ArtProv)” courtesy of the artist and Fountain Street Gallery, Boston.
David DeMelim layers moments, figures and places into a rhythmic cadence of time and space. Crowds passing along the beach or glimpses of faces in an urban night are organized into panoramic time passages. DeMelim’s staccato format emphasizes vibrant color schemes and geometric relationships, creating fractured, angled narrative arcs. These beat like the drum of a jazzy rock song. Disjointed yet unified in their structure, DeMelim’s images echo the slanted way we remember snippets of events and impressions of people, visualizing the essence of consciousness.
Dennis Stein “Trees 1” courtesy of the artist and Fountain Street Gallery, Boston.
While you are at the gallery, check out Dennis Stein’s lovely black and white pinhole and toy camera landscapes in the annex. His exquisite prints possess a long mid-range tonal scale that is reminiscent of platinum prints or— in one— a hint of infrared. In each photograph, Stein creates an emotional response to the nature he depicts.
For more information: https://www.fsfaboston.com
Susan Murie “Aurelia” Cyanotypes on gampi paper assembled on Japanese metallic paper, courtesy of the artist and Abigail Ogilvy Gallery.
Abigail Ogilvy Gallery presents the large scale, sublime cyanotypes by Susan Murie. Murie takes inspiration from her former work in nature as a gardener of formal and public outdoor spaces, as well as private backyards. The sometimes unpredictable process of cyanotype, particularly when made in different conditions of light and humidity, allows for each print to be unique, emphasizing the ephemeral nature of the flowers she employs in her work. The arrangements, layering, form and color endow each work with the visual delight of a carefully designed garden; viewers can almost smell the fragrant scent of the flowers. On view through February 7th, 2021, for more information: https://www.abigailogilvy.com
Nicole Buchanan “Untitled #5, June 14, 2020” from the series Strange Fruit courtesy of the artist and Gallery Kayafas, Boston.
In the Alcove at Gallery Kayafas, photographer Nicole Buchanan presents work from her series Strange Fruit, an aptly symbolic title referring to the jazz classic that is an unnerving euphemism for Southern lynchings, famously performed by Billie Holliday. Buchanan documents Black Lives Matter protests following the ruthless murder of George Floyd last May. To her credit, she focuses on human symbols and signals, rather than on the ubiquitous lettered signs at these rallies. Buchanan’s portraits are lyrical, visually uniting a rainbow of flesh to suggest that skin tone is merely a variation on the theme of our collective humanity. On view through January 23rd, 2021, the gallery website features an interview with the artist: https://www.gallerykayafas.com/current
Howard Fineman “Light at the End of the Tunnel, D.C., 2012” courtesy of the artist and Beacon Gallery, Boston.
In “Urban Landscapes,” Beacon Gallery integrates the work of four artists, two with photographic pieces. Howard Fineman’s architectural photography accentuates intriguing angles and geometries of designed urban spaces, both interior and exterior. Michael McLaughlin’s mixed media pieces re-contextualize city living by framing photographs of parked vehicles with impressionistic oil paintings. On view by appointment through February 14th, 2021: https://beacongallery.com/event-works.php?eventId=13727&event=Urban+Landscapes
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