August 2010, Temple of Blooom @ Cinders Gallery

Hilary Pecis, Untitled, 2010
24" x 30", acrylic and collage on panel
Courtesy of the artist and Cinders Gallery

Temple of Blooom
Cinders Gallery
103 Havemeyer Street
Brooklyn, NY 11211
July 10 through August 8, 2010

Boasting a “sonic-visual sanctuary,” the Temple of Blooom at Cinders Gallery invited eight artists to corral notions of transcendence into an emulsion of spirituality. Drenched in a faded marigold-yellow, the gallery consisted of predominantly black-and-white images. The vibe was reverent, disarming, and dense. Tension cloaked the room despite the desire to create a neutral, soothing temple. The juxtaposition of literal spiritual equations, such as STO’s gaudy Shrine of Bloom (2010), and more clouded references to nature’s solace and the cosmic chaos of such subjective concepts proved intriguing but overwhelming. ‘Shrine of Bloom’ greets viewers with a fire and brimstone terror that seemed too obvious amid the other entries. The chrysanthemum-king is spooky, probably the exact opposite of any utopia I’d care to partake in. The range of imagery, pieces uniting the artists in a stroll toward the sun, contains hope for solace in unstoppable conflict.

Cinders presents a kaleidoscope of comments on transcendence. Mark Warren Jacques’s paintings relay the simplicity and potency of the cosmos. My Life Seems To Be A Series of Accidental Luck. Yet When I look back I see a Willful Pattern, (2010) pulls oceanic waters receding to the horizon out of oblivion. Jacques highlights the majestic relationship between the sun and the sea, uniting the two through the symmetry of a central triangle imposed upon the scene and the rationality of primary colors. John Orth plants plaid and stripes upon shapes reminiscent of medieval armored headgear. Despite eyeholes and what look like tufts of a cropped haircut, Plaid 5 (2010) contains an utterly jarring combination of lines. The plaid pattern mutes the mask’s human resemblance while the stripes elicit thoughts of war paint or a disguise. Orth’s intricate façades refute the impenetrability of masks and the hesitation they suggest. They are mesmerizing displays of triumph over theory, pasted like moose heads in a hunting den. In contemplating ancient spiritual symbols, both artists invigorate traditional divine awareness with contemporary prophecies.