ALBERTINI + SPILLMANN
ARTIST WALK & TALK
SUNDAY MARCH 2, 2 pm
ALBERTINI + SPILLMANN
Thursday January 30,2014 - March 12, 2014
January 30-March 12, 2014
The Flinn Gallery is pleased to
present the work of:
Sydney Albertini and Heinrich Spillmann
will display their artwork in Albertini + Spillmann at the Flinn
Gallery, sponsored by the Friends of the Greenwich Library, from January 30 to
March 12. The public is invited to meet the artists at the opening reception on
Thursday, January 30 from 6-8 pm.
A multimedia artist, Sydney Albertini
has previously worked in painting, sculpture, photography, and performance,
often incorporating her own textiles. For the Flinn exhibition, Albertini has
created a series of self-portraits and textile pieces, reflecting an on-going
investigation with abstraction. The portraits build on each other, with the
depiction of patterned fabric or clothing twisting, wrapping, and eventually
overtaking the details of the face. The portraits start out spontaneous and
gestural, with bands of pattern that are more measured and controlled.
Eventually these patterns envelope the head and become masks, barely revealing
her identity. In the smaller pieces, a portion of the imagined fabric is lifted
from the paintings and remade with soft threads embroidered on cloth. Albertini
states “I have always been passionate about colors and patterns and
therefore textiles. I like to work big, working in a narrative way, adding
piece by piece, one idea brings another.”
Heinrich Spillmann creates large scale
wood sculpture, drawings, carvings, and furniture. For this body of work, Spillmann asks us to
explore the interminable relationship between man and nature. Lost to Super
Storm Sandy, trees that had toppled to the street were salvaged and crafted by
Spillmann, transformed into art. “These magnificent trunks fascinated me every
day on my way to and from work,” Spillmann said. “The challenge to rescue them
before they disappeared was huge. Part of the challenge was the coordination
and logistics of bringing them to a place of my own to work on, but also the
challenge of what would best express their energy and history.” Through the use
of major hauling equipment, he hoists and chainsaws the trunks. In a thoughtful
yet laborious process, he then cuts through the many layers of time to reveal
their potential beauty. Some twist, taper, or bulge into immense vessels.
Often, they are further refined with carving tools that rearticulate the ring
patterns of the wood. Spillmann says, “The carved vases are meant to
serve as symbolic containers, to hold all that the trees stood for. The chairs, one
of the oldest objects made from trees, should invite the viewer to rest and
contemplate the vases.”
Sydney Albertini and Heinrich Spillmann
were both born and raised in Europe. Albertini grew up in Paris and studied art
at Parsons School of Design in New York and fresco painting in Florence, Italy.
She now lives and works in East Hampton. Her work has been widely shown in this
country as well as in Italy and has been featured in print media from the New
York Times to Vogue. Spillmann is from Basel, Switzerland and studied at
Basel’s Academy of Art and Design and Cooper Union in New York. Now based in
Brooklyn, he is an architect at the Brooklyn Public Library. His work has been
exhibited in both New York and Switzerland.
Both artists will attend the opening.
Additionally, there will be an Artist’s Talk on Sunday, March 2, at 2:00 p.m.
in the Flinn Gallery. Curators for the show are Flinn Gallery Co-Chairs Tracy
McKenna and Kirsten Dieterich Pitts.
Albertini + Spillmann will
be on view Monday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with extended
hours to 8:00 p.m. on Thursdays and from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. on Sundays. Artworks
are for sale, with a portion of the proceeds supporting the Friends of the
Greenwich Library.
The
Flinn Gallery
Greenwich
Library
Images: Heinrich Spillmann - ndy le, vase ; Sydney Albertini - blue red
101
West Putnam Avenue
Greenwich,
CT 06830
203.622.7947
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