The Kimball Art Center’s new exhibit gives art lovers and the curious a glimpse “Between the Lines.” The show, which opens Friday and runs through Jan. 3, will feature abstract works from 17 international and domestic artists, said Curator Nancy Stoaks. (See accompanying list). “I’m always thinking about the ways art tells stories,” she said. “As I looked at some of these artists’ works, I found myself captivated by how these artists use abstraction as a way to do that.” Abstract art is often defined by what it leaves out, according to Stoaks. “(That includes) recognizable figures, concrete objects, real-world scenes,” she said. “Through simple gestures of lines and colors and the inherent nature of materials, these artists create such impactful work that is about them.” Sometimes the art reflects personal stories or a cultural way of looking at the world, Stoaks said.  “There are only 17 incredible artists, so it’s not a survey of abstraction, but it gives a breadth of how artists use abstraction today through different styles and approaches,” she said. “I think it’s a wonderful way to invite us to slow down and spend time with the works and feel their impacts. And the exhibit is also a good place for people to start (seeing) some of the stories that are ‘Between the Lines.’” The artists work with many different mediums, Stoaks said. “We have painting, print, textile and sculpture,” she said. “We’ll also have this incredible immersive and interactive installation that will be super exciting.” That installation will be created by Magdalena Fernández, an artist from Venezuela, Stoaks said. Magdalena Fernández’s “2i000.17,” which uses iron spheres and black elastic cord, is an interactive art installation that will be showcased from Friday to Jan. 3 at the Kimball Art Center. Credit: Photo courtesy of Magdalena Fernández and Sicardi Ayers Bacino “She basically creates a geometric abstract drawing in three dimensions,” she said. The composition stems from iron spheres that sit on the floor and are connected to the ceiling with elastic cords, according to Stoaks. “We as viewers are invited to walk into the installation and are allowed to move the spheres to different locations in the room,” she said, “It’s kind of like, a ‘create-your-own abstract,’ and we’re really excited to have it.” The exhibit will also include a work by Brooklyn-based large-installation artist Tara Donovan, Stoaks said. “Tara is known for using every-day materials like little metal pins or rubber bands or plastic cups and tar paper, and accumulating these objects to the point where they become a whole different thing,” she said. “She will do a sight-responsive installation that uses Mylar tape, and it’s going to be one of these installations that reflects the light. So the work will constantly change when you’re in different parts of the room.” The exhibit is truly an international show, Stoaks said. “Apart from the United States, there are artists who were born in Pakistan, Iran, Venezuela, Mexico, Ethiopia and India,” she said. “A few of those artists have moved to the United States, and half of them still live where they are originally from. We also have artists who are Diné and from the Piikani Nation.” Stoaks has followed some of the exhibit’s artists for a while. “I saw an incredible exhibit of Julie Mehretu’s work in 2003 at the Walker Art Center, and I was bowled over,” she said. “I’m so excited to bring her work to the Kimball Art Center.” Stoaks discovered some of the other artists more recently. “Some I have found as this show was building, and while I was doing more and more research about artists working with abstraction,” she said. Deciding on which items to show was one of the challenges of curating the exhibit, Stoaks said. “It’s always a difficult but also fun challenge of my job,” she said. “There are some interesting mediums in the show that bring forth some of the artists’ traditions to the show.” These works came together around some nice themes, Stoaks said. “I think there are some artists in each room who are talking with each other through their works,” she said. “Although the materials and processes may be different, the things they think about — like a sense of place and belonging or material transformation, perception and abstraction of language — may be the same. So, it’s like thinking about a puzzle and how all of these pieces fit together.”   Stoaks is aware that some people shy away from abstract art. “There Are Many Trails To Embark Upon” by Terran Last Gun will be part of the “Between the Lines” exhibit that runs Friday through Jan. 3 at the Kimball Art Center. “Between the Lines” features abstract works from 17 international artists. Credit: Courtesy of the collection of Margo and Frank Walter “(It does have) that sense of a more formal pursuit — something that is very difficult to understand and comprehend,” she said. “But I think people can connect with these works on so many levels in different ways.” One level is simply how these creations make the viewer feel, Stoaks said. “Any work of art speaks to you through the color, the form and the material, and they have this presence that you can feel when you look at it,” she said. “I like this quote by one of the artists in the exhibition, Julie Mehretu, (who says), ‘I work in abstraction because I think within abstraction there’s a lot that I can communicate that’s visceral and felt, but that we don’t have language for.’” “Between the Lines” invites viewers to linger in the space between what they see and what they sense, Stoaks said. “Looking slowly, we may discover that abstraction does not ask us to understand less, but to look more carefully — toward the stories, memories and meanings held just beneath the surface,” she said. “Rather than turning away from the world, these artists distill and transform what they encounter within it, giving form to experiences that may resist being pictured directly.” The Kimball Art Center’s ‘Between the Lines’ exhibit artists: Anila Quayyum Agha Chakaia Booker Tara Donovan Golnaz Fathi Nolan Flynn Magdalena Fernández Porfirio Gutiérrez Kathryn Knudsen Terran Last Gun Anna Laurie Mackay Julie Mehretu Eamon Ore-Giron Mitsu Salmon Marilou Schultz Charisse Pearlina Weston Stanley Whitney Zarina ‘Between the Lines’ When: Friday through Jan. 3 Where: Kimball Art Center, 1251 Kearns Blvd. Web: kimballartcenter.org Also:  Art Talk with Porfirio Gutiérrez When: 6 p.m., Saturday Where: Kimball Art Center, 1251 Kearns Blvd. Cost: Free, but RSVPs are strongly suggested RSVP: tinyurl.com/4yvj2h5t Web: kimballartcenter.org And: Mark Making with chonineal ink with Porfirio Gutiérrez When: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday Where: Kimball Art Center, 1251 Kearns Blvd. Registration: tinyurl.com/mrwdjxp7 Web: kimballartcenter.org The post Kimball Art Center finds the messages ‘Between the Lines’ appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less