JONATHAN FERRARA GALLERY is proud to announce Color Correction, an exhibition of Indianapolis-based artist Marna Shopoff. For her second solo exhibition at the gallery, Shopoff unveils her latest series of large-scale geometric abstract paintings. Employing oil, acrylic gouache and ink on canvas or linen, the artist builds coats of intensely hued pigments and then deconstructs the surface; creating translucent layers which evoke space and dimension. The strong line in these works are prismatic and fractal, denoting references to architecture and mathematics. The exhibition will be on view in the main gallery 1 February – 25 March with First Saturday Gallery Openings on 4 February and 4 March from 6-9pm.
Shopoff says of the exhibition . . .
What happens when we set aside the need to represent what we see and instead respond with how we feel? To me, life is fragmented and layered, a mosaic of experiences interwoven with reflection and intuition: the places we visit, the homes we live in, the countries we explore – each overlapping and influencing one another. Color Correction is a visual expression of how experience and memory uniquely intertwine.
Color is energy. It is a way to reflect my view of the world and to connect the visual with the emotional. Blending contemporary and classical approaches to painting and composition, I examine how human experience, place and personal memory affect my perception of self. I am interested in how we interpret and interact with the spaces that surround us. What memories or feelings do these places spark and what sort of energy do they project?
I view the world in a particular way because of the context in which I have experienced it: the architecture, spatial politics, personal relationships and intimate places. Like so, I use color to express a certain mood or idea, and ultimately as an interpretation of the world around me. I use abstraction as a way to move through and define the two-dimensional surface. Perspective, saturation and transparency, together with techniques of glazing and layering, create an illusion of depth and space, while visually conveying the fusion of memories and experiences.
As an artist, I investigate whether someone can access and experience a new view of the world through my work and how I can create a new space using my art. My work explores whether, through art, we can share our individual perceptions.
Marna Shopoff is a visual artist with an emphasis on abstract painting and intuitive drawing. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree (2012) and Master of Fine Arts degree (2014) from Herron School of Art and Design, Indianapolis, IN, where she has taught as an adjunct professor in the Foundations and Drawing Programs.
Shopoff has led panel discussions on abstract learning and haptic drawing at the Foundations in Art Theory and Education Conference (US) and the International Drawing and Cognition Symposium (UK). She is the recipient of various honors and awards, including The Individual Artist Award | Indiana Arts Commission, the Mildred Darby Menz Award, and the 2014-2015 Stutz Resident Artist Award. She has taken part in artist residencies at locations across the US and Europe including the Vermont Studio Center (VT); Teton Artlab (WY); Taliesin, The Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture (WI); and The International School of Painting, Drawing and Sculpture (Italy). Most recently Shopoff completed a fellowship at the Leveld Art Centre (Norway) and will take part in The Arctic Circle Residency (International Territory of Svalbard) this autumn.
Her work has been published in print and digital circulations including Studio Visit Magazine, Manifest, ArtSeen and Blue Canvas. Her exhibition portfolio spans both nationally and internationally (solo, group and collaborative), and she has participated in art fairs including PULSE New York, Miami Project, VOLTA12 (Basel, Switzerland), Art Market San Francisco, Seattle Art Fair, Texas Contemporary (Houston).
For further information, press or sales inquiries please contact the gallery director, Matthew Weldon Showman, at matthew@jonathanferraragallery.com or at the gallery +1.504.522.5471.
Please join the conversation with JFG on Facebook (@Jonathan Ferrara Gallery), Twitter (@JFerraraGallery), and Instagram (@JonathanFerraraGallery) via the hashtags #MarnaShopoff, #ColorCorrection, and #JonathanFerraraGallery.
