Hamilton Street Gallery is proud to present an exhibition entitled, “The Hollow” featuring the works of three artists: Patricia A. Bender, a photographer who uses traditional cameras and processes her prints in the dark room, Kelly Clark, who experiments in different techniques to construct images in mixed media, and Alex Eckman-Lawn, who creates fine, intricate hand cut paper sculptures and collages. The exhibit will run from May, 20th. to July 6th. with an opening reception on Saturday, May 20th. from 2 to 5 pm. All are welcome to this free event.

Statement

A clearing in a forest is a vessel, inhabited by infinite, ceaseless manifestations of life’s many stages, erupting from and returning to nothingness. The surrounding trees act as sentinels, silent observers, maintaining the sanctity of this space – The Hollow. Just as the walls of a room, such as an artist’s studio, listen in perpetual stasis as we conjure experiences, alone and with others, the parameters of this sanctum contribute as much to its definition as do its contents. It is a place in which to hide, to create, and to listen, encased in a membrane, which may be concrete, or a construct of one’s mind. This exhibit, comprised of works by three artists, Alex Eckman-Lawn, Patricia A. Bender, and Kelly Clark, evokes The Hollow in various ways. Included are representations of the space itself and its many forms – both naturalistic and fantastic – in disparate states of growth and decay, musings on the notion of being its inhabitant, and images that ask us to turn our eyes to the trees, walls, or confines themselves, be they real or imaginary. The Hollow – in a painting, up the road, at the edge of a forest, or in your mind – beckons.

Caitlin T. McCormack