Anatomy of an Exhibition -Thoughts on my Upcoming Exhibition - A Matter of Space

"There are only two ways to live your life.
One is as though nothing is a miracle.
The other is as though everything is a miracle."
Albert Einstein
I love this quote - the important words are "as though" because how we experience our lives is often dependent
on how we frame our experiences. If we "think" its a  bad day, it is a bad day. That is not to say there are all
good days but often we can improve our mood and sense of well being by living "as though" things are well.The other idea i enjoy in this quote is that of "miracles". I believe i can find awe and beauty in some small detail
of my daily life and by choosing to be conscious of these things improves my daily life.

 

photo of beginning thoughts about Oceanside Museum exhibition

So, I am having a solo exhibition at the Oceanside Museum in Oceanside, CA with an opening reception on Saturday, October 22nd, 2-4 pm.  I will also be giving a gallery talk at that time. This exhibition has been a challenge for me because the space i was given is very small in relation to the usual scale of my work. My works are often 3' x 6' and larger.  So I was faced with the question "How do I approach this exhibition?" Usually I create wall, floor and hanging installations and have the opportunity of selecting among my works to install. This time, my "usual" approach did not work.  I began thinking about the space, taking photos, making notes, and brainstorming some ideas. The concept of "space" kept popping up in my thoughts - what is space, how deep is space, what is in space? After all, I've never been in outer space, and can't see what's in the space around people and objects in space on earth. Yet, the thoughts were compelling and it is basically a conversation I have had with myself for a long time and was beginning to be present in some of the installations I was making. So began a several month process of investigation, research, thoughts and experimentations in the studio.....

                                                          detail of hanging installation - 'Worlds Within Worlds'