Fibers Exhibition
Michael C. Andrews, Surabhi Ghosh, and Rowland Ricketts III
October 24 – December 09, 2016
Curated by Rob Mertens

Mike Andrews is a Chicago-based artist who earned his MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art and has recently had solo exhibitions at Golden Gallery in Chicago and Daily Projects in Seoul, South Korea. He currently teaches at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Between moving, sculptural and visual aspects, his main thoughts are shown through fundamental investigations of material, space, and the relationship between the body, object and image. Andrews looks to conflicts that arise between those negotiations for inspiration. The choice to highlight the conflict, rather than looking past the issues, shapes work that lays bare a commanding and deliberate scale. Andrews explores thoughts of practice, experience, and taste between virtual and actual aspects, alongside material and graphic aspects. 

Surabhi Ghosh is a drawing, installation, and textile artist inspired by her research of patterning, materiality, and cultural narratives. She received her MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art and a BFA from the University of Georgia. Ghosh has taught at the Art Institute of Chicago and the University of Oregon, and is currently Assistant Professor and Program Coordinator of Fibers and Material Practices at Concordia University.

Rowland Ricketts III is an artist and craftsman trained in traditional indigo dyeing and farming in the country of Japan. He has presented his work at the Textile Museum in Washington D.C., Cavin-Morris Gallery in New York, and the Douglas Dawson Gallery in Chicago. He is featured in several publications such as Textiles Now and Hand/Eye Magazine.

Mike Andrews
Hardward: "Whenever I go to a party I am most likely going to remember the odd conversation or the socially awkward person rather than the well-adjusted host. When the drawings, sculptures, tapestries, and animations are displayed with each other there is a continuum of things that relate and things that seem really off like the attendees of a weird party. Lately I have been investigating the parameters of my own output. I have been thinking about the values of defining my work through a particular material or history. Obviously I could crank out the same kind of work over and over but to what end? I get bored really easily so I need to set up some kind of unknown or obstacle in my studio so I don’t feel like I’m vomiting out the same thing."

Surabhi Ghosh
"My work maps points of intersection between abstraction, minimalism, and ornamentation while expanding on a speculative understanding of these and other imbricated histories. Repositioning ubiquitous and universal motifs – circles, dots, hexagons, and stripes – I build complex compositions through accumulative mark-making. I attempt to construct patterns incrementally; my handmade geometry will never result in a “true” pattern."

Rowland Ricketts III
Immanent Blue: Through his years of apprenticeship in Japan, Rowland Ricketts has achieved the understanding and execution of farming, processing, and dyeing indigo, allowing him to create transcendent pieces that are both pleasing to the eye and to the conscientiousness of the craft. Ricketts believes in the traditional aspect in creating his pieces. He states that, “it is a conscious act of recognition that all the energy extended in the farming and processing of indigo plants is just as much a part of the final dyestuff as the indigo molecules themselves.”

December 08, 2016: Artist Talk: Rowland Ricketts III
Closing reception to follow
Duke Hall Gallery, 7p 

Weaving Stories Into Art: JMU Gallery Features Fiber Arts Exhibit Through Dec. 9, by Aleda Johnson / DN-R, October 28, 2016