Installation view. Courtesy Romer Young Gallery

Installation view. Courtesy Romer Young Gallery

On view at Romer Young Gallery is New York artist, Molly Smith, for her first solo exhibition at the gallery, “Route”.  Using found and handmade objects Smith creates sculptures and drawings as a response to her surroundings that are always in flux.  Impermanence is a conversation that is an underlying theme in her work.  She uses a variety of techniques in her arrangements where components of the work rest, balance, and stand, erecting a feeling of transformation which add a dynamic quality to the work that can seem transient or even eerie.  Some of the works that stand out are her fabric works which use wire armatures to support their ghostly posture as they stand in the gallery space.  One piece that is incredibly beautiful is “Wash”, which has what looks like a paint rag floating from the confined space of a jar or bottle.  Traits of ephemeral moments are captured through Smith’s practice, presented by her numerous works on view.  Below is a statement Smith wrote further describing her work.

MOLLY SMITH. Wash, 2013, glass and fabric, 28″ x 22″ x 5″. Courtesy Romer Young Gallery

“I have been traveling across the country for half a year. This time has been about moving, navigating places and finding a way. Along that way I made things out of materials I collected from the places I pass through. These things exist as sketches and are allowed to be in transitive states. For me, this way of working matches the fleeting nature of my impressions from brief experiences and encounters in unfamiliar areas. My hope is that the objects hold the energy of the instance of their creation and might resonate a sense of presence, of being aware of a moment. Their figuring out is their essence.

My ways of making have been challenged and adapted by limitations and constraints during this journey. It has required the forms the work takes to be compact, mutable and economical. All materials have been found, collected or transformed. My own clothing, stained fabric, natural refuse and recycled paper are all materials I use. My partner and travel mate works with me to create supports for the pieces. Making has become more deeply integrated in my everyday living.”

-Molly Smith

MOLLY SMITH. Forecast, 2013, ink on paper and cedar (7 pieces), 10″ x 10″ each (shelf 86″ x 1.25″). Courtesy Romer Young Gallery

Find time to make it over to Romer Young Gallery before this exhibition closes tomorrow March 30th, 2013.  For more information visit here.

-Contributed by Gregory Ito