6 of 1 and half dozen the other
Drawings and Photographs by Fionn Reilly and Nadja Petrov
Opening Saturday, June 5, 5-8pm
through June 27th
11 Cross Street Gallery located in Saugerties, New York 12477A note from the curator: "When Fionn Reilly first approached me about a show at 11 Cross Gallery, he mentioned he wanted to do an installation together with Nadja Petrov. I was immediately intrigued as I hadn’t seen Nadja’s work in a while but her elegant, intricate, and energetic style had always stuck with me.
How would Fionn, with his iconic confrontationalism harmonize with the subtle humming of Nadia’s art? Once I arrived at Ms. Petrov’s, it became clear how it would all come together.
Left: Work in Progress on Nadja Petrov's drawing table
On her drawing table was one of the pieces she was working on for “6 of 1 and Half Dozen of the Other." It was not a large drawing but across its fine surface was a series of beautiful ink lines, almost etched into the paper with the kind of precision you would imagine a glass engraver would utilize. But its the lines themselves that are so amazing- each one having what I like to call a “noun and a verb” – in otherwords, the lines have a particular character and they move in a specific manner. Like artful traffic, they swerve carefully in their appointed directions and designated velocity until they form an active pattern of a bigger world. It would be like a weaving except there isn’t a concrete form that is loomed but rather the white of the page itself is carved and suspended, the small irregular negative spaces sparkling like stars or rippling like waves on a windy lake. I remembered the black and white photographs I had seen earlier in the week at Fionn Reilly’s studio/gallery on 212 (the old Lucky Chocolate’s building)- the abstract textures created by buildings and vegetation, the vibration that comes from restraint and suddenly the vision for “6 of 1 and Half Dozen of Another” was all coming together. This upcoming show has truly been created by these two artists- in this instance, at the opening this Saturday June 5th, 5-8pm and during the entire run through June 27th, I will be merely the enabler!
