Liam Everett is currently on view at Altman Siegel, and is worth a visit if you’re in San Francisco.  A collection of Everett’s stretched triangular paintings hang vertically in the gallery, resembling sails to boats departing on their voyages.  The larger draped works  can be viewed as sculptural painting, beautifully displayed using a combination of textile and painting practices, displayed on propped planks of wood that effortlessly rest on the stark white walls of the gallery.  Everett’s smaller flat works use masonite surfaces and have a much more vibrant presence in the space.  Contained within the rectangular format we are accustomed to, Everett manages to create a body of work that is mesmerizing to first look.  During further investigation simple relationships between fading textures and a high contrast pallet, the work begins to resemble over exposed film negatives of faded memories.  Find time to view this exhibition before it comes down December 22nd, 2012.

Artist: Liam Everett
Exhibition: If I could sleep I might make love. I’d go into the woods. My eyes would see… the sky, the earth. I’d run, run, they wouldn’t catch me.
Location: Altman Siegel, San Francisco.
Dates: November 1 – December 22, 2012
Website: http://www.altmansiegel.com/main.php?menu=&page=

Press Release Exhibition Images Selected Articles 5 Painters: Jessica Dickinson, Liam Everett, Alex Olson, Josh Smith, Garth Weiser Liam Everett If I could sleep I might make love. I'd go into the woods. My eyes would see... the sky, the earth. I'd run, run, they wouldn't catch me. Installation view. Courtesy fo Altman Siegel.

Press Release Excerpt:

Altman Siegel is pleased to present the gallery’s first solo show of new work by Liam Everett. Everett’s diverse practice encompasses painting, sculpture and performance, which reference multiple artistic influences including dance, theater, and philosophy.

In one aspect of his practice, Everett makes paintings on Masonite panels, creating luminous abstractions through an elaborate process of layering and erasure. These works function at a different speed than his fabric paintings, which confound traditional methods of support. In these works, the fabrics are soaked, stained, dried and then carefully collapsed on various constructions that lean, cling to the wall and stand on the floor. Recent paintings on both free standing and shaped structures
reflect the artist’s interest in developing ways to expose the animate qualities of the still form and work with various sensibilities within the oeuvre.

Everett’s new paintings are focused on what he refers to as “systems of support,” in which the floor, wall and body are all implicated, collaborating within the mix of the visual dynamic. Everett uses non-traditional mediums such as salt, alcohol, and lemon, creating tension through limitations and at the same time entertaining the phenomenological and alchemical. Harnessing this static, the work appears foreign within the studio, until it articulates a presence and reality of its own. Through this concern Everett allows the practice itself to make both form and movement manifest.

Liam Everett The remains of gardening plans, gathered to ensure the space necessary for the event characterized by an uncertain departure, 2012 Ink, acrylic, alcohol, sea salt on organza with wooden beams, ceramic, cotton, and wooden dowel 96 x 38 in. (243.84 x 96.52 cm). Courtesy of Altman Siegel.

Liam Everett If I could sleep I might make love. I'd go into the woods. My eyes would see... the sky, the earth. I'd run, run, they wouldn't catch me. Installation view. Courtesy of Altman Siegel.

Liam Everett Untitled, 2012 Ink, acrylic, alcohol and sea salt on masonite panels 24 x 18 in. (60.96 x 45.72 cm). Courtesy of Altman Siegel.

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Contributed by Gregory Ito