Suzy Poling @ Tartine February 5, 2009

SUZY POLING
ZONES MODULES AND MONOLITHS

February 5th – February 26th

OPENING RECEPTION: Thursday, February 5th from 9pm – 11pm
Musical performance by Paige Flash at 10pm

Curated by Brianna Toth

Suzy Poling's works explores different art practices to develop and research sonic atmospheres visually and aurally. Her extensive photographic work depicts abandoned amusement parks and mental hospitals, where she researches elaborate textures, presence and residue about decay and organic life. Her work also reaches into the realms of installation, sound, fiber art, film and collage. Her musical suite Pod Blotz is interwoven into all of the visual work as it speaks about abstraction and mystery of the unseen.

ZONES MODULES AND MONOLITHS continues to examine much of the same subject matter as Poling's previous work through multi-media colleges that focus sonic frequencies and organic and architectural substructures within minimalist landscapes. Some of these thematic elements are evident in her choice of material: by building up layers of paint, black powder, found objects, vinyl, cut-out illustrations and silk screened images, Poling's collages seem to grow and decompose before the viewers eyes.

The stark minimalism of Polings work is influenced by both a Pop aesthetic and the design elements of the Bauhaus. Furthering its connection of the Bauhaus, ZONES MODULES AND MONOLITHS draws on its theatrical tradition, which privileges the visual, aural and plastic qualities of the stage above character, narrative and themes. References to science fiction, Dada, and architectural devices also surface in her work.

***

Suzy Poling is an experimental artist working in Oakland. For the past 10 years, Poling has worked in a variety of different industries as a photographer doing fashion, editorial and documentary work. She has been a resident artist at Southern Exposure and Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts and recently completed a 24-hour sonic sculpture and performance with Kamau Patton on the Santa Monica oceanfront for Machine Project. Her work has been shown with Zg Gallery in Chicago, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Sydney Museum for Photography and the Chicago Cultural Center. She has been published in books for Columbia College of Chicago, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and 40 Front Press.

www.suzypoling.com

Official Website: http://www.tartinebakery.com