In Furthest West, presented at The Contemporary Austin in 2013, an interest in traditional craft and textiles, gendered labor, and modernist architecture and furniture is brought together, creating a colorful, painterly installation within and beyond the Gatehouse Gallery at Laguna Gloria. Developed through a hybrid practice of painting and sculpture, the work treads the line between fine art and decoration, including outdoor works, furniture, and a perforated screen painting that spans the width of the gallery.
An exploration of color, form, and material begins inside the gallery with a double-sided painting that adds an architectural element to the space. The imagery in the painting mixes textile traditions from around the world with loose painterly abstraction. The viewer can choose to walk around the painting or peer through its numerous apertures at another large-scale painting beyond. Hand cut, glazed brick geometric sculptures and painted banners woven through the outdoor pergola welcome views to the gallery.
Treating historic art and decorative practices, architecture, and design equally, the exhibit connects to a diverse and continually evolving globalized world.
