Victoria Palermo

Victoria Palermo
RAUM

On Thursday November 10th, there will be a solo exhibition by Victoria Palermo in the Main Galleries. The Carriage House will be closed for the winter season. The work will be on display through December 4th with a reception for the artist on Saturday November 12th from 6:00 until 8:00 p.m.

I am one of those people who occasionally succumbs to "Stendhal's Syndrome" -that is I swoon, literally experience vertigo, in front of a work of art... at times in front of a painting, especially a Rothko. In this work, I try to wedge myself into that abstract paint space, make it three-dimensional, walk around in it, and see through to the other side.

The layers of translucent colors here are recombinant, varying with the viewer's vantage point. That means you, the viewer, may participate in the work, mixing color and determining composition through your position outside the construction. I acknowledge the visual associations with the machined aesthetic and geometrical shapes of the Bauhaus and De Stilj, but form rejects function in my pieces. Their architectonic ambition is compromised by gravity--they are made of rubber, and closer inspection reveals their handmade origins. The works defy practicality--more like miniature Victorian follies in spirit perhaps--inviting a sense of fantasy to imagine dwelling inside.

         Victoria Palermo
         2011


"Victoria Palermo's diminutive architectural structures made of silicone rubber engage the senses and the intellect. Constructions that fuse a modernist appearance and ideology with an aesthetic of play found in their small size, bright colors, and illogical spaces, the work engenders a sense of pure pleasure and fun."

          --Katie Hauser
         Associate Professor, Art History
         Skidmore College

Gallery hours are Thursday through Monday, 11:00 till 5:00 p.m. For further information about the gallery, the artists and upcoming exhibition, visit

www.johndavisgallery.com

or contact John Davis directly at 518.828.5907 or via e-mail: art@johndavisgallery.com.