Statement:

Small works are often underappreciated in a contemporary climate where artists feel they must make an increasingly bigger splash, where intimacy, delicacy and precision get the short curatorial straw. The quality of works in this exhibit belies that trend and makes a case for close inspection, private worlds and the thrill of discovering a gem.///

Minimalism fares well in this environment and the intricate works of Eleanor Wood bear this out - exquisitely nuanced surfaces, finely calibrated proportions, and an unerring sense of composure. At the other end of the spectrum Deirdre Brown evokes cosmic rays through evocative microscopic textural shifts – a universe contained in a square foot of canvas! This is a scale that lends itself to the intricacy of woven materials and Al Canner employs knotted cords of cotton, hemp, rayon and glass beads to generate a lively hexapod. 

On a different spectrum, Jack Crouch’s collage “After the Faculty Meeting” puns on the smallness of the painting with the depiction of a tantrum-possessed toddler who symbolizes just how heated intellectuals can get, over the triviality of administrative disagreements! Daniel Esquivia-Zapata revels in the delicacy that graphite is capable of with a beautifully nuanced portrait of Cecilia. Susanne Kessler from Berlin reminds us that small can also be monumental with her “Book Moth” weighing in at 15 x 15 inches.

With a parallel ambition the small archival inkjet prints of Mehrdad Mirzaie open a window to deep, occluded histories and the suffering of a nation. To end on a happier note, Katie Sandridge gives us a two by four-inch ceramic stoneware reminding us of the preciousness of our arid environment.

This has been to follow very few of the myriad possible threads that weave their stylistic and thematic journey through these minuscule moments of integrity, resilience, mischief making and modesty. We feel sure that viewers will uncover their own surprises and perhaps lose themselves in miniature but monumental, microcosmic magic. 
Small Works aims to celebrate the power of small artworks that invites viewers to explore the intricacies of minute details.