Art

EXHIBITIONS

Pink Moon

We bear witness to the cyclical nature of life when the full moon rises in spring, shining down on us from the heavens. Named by indigenous Americans after the native phlox—one of the earliest widespread flowers of spring—the “Pink Moon” exerts a strong gravitational pull. Upsetting the tide and provoking tectonic activity, it signifies metamorphosis, reminding us that awkward transitions and warmer days are ahead. Like the wild phlox, we emerge hairy and sticky from the cold, creeping around the ground in search of bittersweet gifts from the season. Our queer leaves sprout, pushing and nudging through frozen ground, climbing toward a beaming light. Rolling around in fresh grass and dewy, dark soil, we search for the first fruits—tart, pink-green strawberries devoured before they’re snatched up by hungry birds and small mammals. We are greedy with optimism for the coming season but remain cautious lest we are tempted by rhubarb’s sour stalks and poisonous leaves.

The work in this exhibition is about rebirth and renewal. The processes—literal and fantastical—can be messy and imperfect. Forms and colors are built from clay, fiber, insects, plants, and minerals. Their serendipitous conclusions are the results of bodily gestures and visceral reactions. Peter Ronan and Cassie Tompkins found themselves fumbling out of the fog of anxiety and grief of 2020 into the natural world. The activity of gardening became a source of calm and inspiration to their art practices. Tompkins spent the spring and summer of 2021 and 2022 nurturing vegetable and native prairie gardens. She uses natural dyes derived from plants, insects, and minerals to alter silk fabric. The resulting imagery is fluid and sensitive to the elements. The inclusion of rust acts as a modifier, shifting the dye colors and threatening to corrode the delicate fabric. Her ceramic work began as an exploration of shape and transformed into vessels symbolizing the experience of loss and grief. Ronan made dozens of fantastical ceramic vessels to hold his ever-growing collection of plants. The objects flaunt pleasure and decadence, living in an emotional, physical, spiritual, and metaphysical realm. They satisfy the desire for sensory overload and to defy categorization. The functional pots and lidded boxes embody “otherness”—queer and highly decorative, they transgress binaries.

Roman Susan, Chicago, IL
April 1–30, 2023

“Pink Moon on display at Roman Susan,” Loyola Phoenix; April 5, 2023