"Gate" Solo Exhibition of New Works by Allan Packer, Opening Reception November 19, 2010

"Gate" by Allan Packer

November 19th—January 9th, 2011
Reception: Friday November 19th, 7-9pm
Viewing hours: Fri-Sun 1-6 and by appt.

Front Room gallery is proud to present a solo exhibition of new works by Allan Packer which features an installation and series of sculptures and paintings inspired during the artists residency at the Wurliter Foundation in Taos, NM. Studying astro-archeological sites on the canyon floor of the Rio-Grande provided Packer an entry into the mythological unknown of ancient civilizations. Referencing sites where the Puebloan and other Native American groups used petroglyph markings to note locations of importance, Packer adopted one of the most frequently used symbols: the spiral, which symbolized a portal to the spiritual dimension. The belief is that at these sites, the spiritually enlightened could transcend their physical form. This concept, and the symbolic significance of the spiral petroglyph was Packer’s point of departure into a new body of work that references time and matter and addresses our understanding of infinity.

In this exhibition Allan Packer presents “Portal” which directly references the markings of this lost culture, revivifying their beliefs into a contemporary perspective. With this piece, Packer animates a spiral petroglyph, in a kinetic sculpture that is both hypnotic and meditatively calming.

In a larger installation, entitled “Gate,” Packer references portal sites from the base of the Chaco Canyon, recreating the perceived/proposed experience of transcendence. Packer re-envisions landscape painting through the incorporation of an endless canvas, with a rotating scroll of an infinite landscape of the New Mexico desert. Allan Packer captures the quality of light as popularized in South-Western style of painting and presents an experience of temporal and spatial expansion and compression. Static sculptural elements counter this kinetic component of the installation. Carved figures of an owl and snake allude to contemporary and ancient symbology of ‘the messenger” or “the protector.”