Kate Eric
One Plus One Minus One
June 26 to December 31, 2011
Kate Eric is a decade-old collaborative identity comprised of Kate Tedman and Eric Siemens, who methodically take turns as they capture interactions in layers of paint on large scale canvases.
The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum will mount the artists’ first museum exhibition from June 26 to December 31, 2011. The small survey will span their early work, where the human figure was somewhat present, to the latest, which is quite devoid of human life.
The married couple alternate between homes in Italy and San Francisco, observing the interactions that take place around them. Kate Eric explains, “We enjoy looking at exchanges of any sort, whether it be carbon and hydrogen, a new idea and a preconceived notion, or a cartoon elephant and a mouse. It is the commonality in these interactions that fascinates us. Simply put, we take turns. The painting builds up layers as we go along. There are often fifty or so cycles involved in a larger piece. We depend heavily on mistakes that happen during the process to spark further exploration. Art without accident is evolution without mutation.”
Aldrich curator Mónica Ramírez-Montagut adds, “Through their joint work, the artists create surreal scenes that transcend our human scale. Either minuscule molecular-like interactions or—seemingly quite the opposite—the dynamics of the cosmos and the universe, are formally expressed by the juxtaposition of different punctilious organic structures, clashing floating veils, and proto-animal parts in watery and almost antigravitational environments.”
The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum will celebrate the opening of Kate Eric: One Plus One Minus One along with five other Collaborations exhibitions at a reception where guests are invited to meet the artists, on Sunday, June 26, 2011, from 3 to 5 pm ($7 adults; $4 seniors; FREE for members, pre-K-12 teachers, and children 18 and under). FREE onsite parking is available, as is round-trip transportation from the Metro North Katonah Train Station to the Museum for the June 26 afternoon reception only. Also on view: Chelpa Ferro: Visual Sound; MTAA: All the Holidays All at Once; Type A: Barrier and Trigger; Jessica Stockholder: Hollow Places Court in Ash-Tree Wood; and Judi Werthein: Do You Have Time?
The Aldrich is supported, in part, by the Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism and the National Endowment for the Arts. Art Works. The official media sponsors of exhibition openings are Ridgefield Magazine and WSHU Public Radio.
The Artists: Kate Eric is the collaborative identity of Kate Tedman and Eric Siemens; Tedman is from Oxford, England, and Siemens from Oregon. Since the two began creating art together in Barcelona in 2000, they have exhibited their work in London, San Francisco, New York, Chicago, Hong Kong, and Dubai. Kate Eric is represented by Frey Norris Contemporary & Modern, San Francisco.
Top of page: Kate Eric,One Plus One Minus One (partial installation view at The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, Ridgefield), 2011
Courtesy of the artists and Frey Norris Contemporary & Modern, San Francisco
Photo: Chad Kleitsch
