Artist Feature: Kate Sullivan

“I thought the locomotives were overwhelming, 
and I wanted to express that.”
 - Kate Sullivan

On October 13,  the Copley Society welcomes you to indulge in the visual decadence of the latest show : Kate Sullivan's “Slow Roads & Hard Lines.” This solo show exhibition provides viewers with close-up, blown-up, industrial snapshots of a mode of transportation that paradoxically reads as both modern and anachronistic. The drawings encompass not only the intricate details of their subject matter, but capture a three-dimensional atmosphere – from streams of sunlight glaring off curves of metal to urban facades reflected in shop windows. Not to be mistaken for black and white photographs, these detailed graphite images seam the contemporary art world’s affinity for photo-realism with good old-fashioned drawing.
 

The striking Streetcars and Electric Locomotives: Waiting - Locomotive at Dockweiler, Germany imposes bold lines of smooth contours supported by complex weaving of angles and shapes. Sullivan puts every inch of the colossal canvas to use, including every dent in the diligent shell and every churn of wispy white smoke extending from the resting wheels.  Layer upon layer is recreated of the beautifully engineered structure, reinterpreting strict mechanics into a unique sculpture of the artist’s own creation. Every angle of shadow against the hot metal translates the power of the locomotive to that of the burning sun, and the complexity of the structure is further emphasized by the bare white background, permeated only by a cluster of slender trees.

Streetcars and Electric Locomotives: Waiting - Locomotive at Dockweiler, graphite on paper, 44 x 60

The three industrious vehicles in Buses of Truth sit exposed in the engulfing glare of the sun, whose rays simultaneously caress the gleaming shells and bounce off the broad windows. The light streams into the undisturbed structures, revealing rows of empty seats, while a pool of cool shade is contained under the heavy masses of the vehicles. In this way, Sullivan continues her play of light and shadow, using the wall of buses to project the extending light back into the viewer’s space.

Buses of Truth, graphite on paper, 20 x 30

This striking series of works engages beyond a simply literal reading of its industrial realm. Allowing the viewer a kind of aimless, meandering contemplation, Sullivan provides the trains, but she does not lay the tracks.

"Slow Roads & Hard Lines will be on display until November 10, 2011. 

Click HERE to visit the online exhibition.

Members' Reception Tonight!*

Thursday, October 13 5:30 - 7:30

*Members: Free | Non-Members: $10