SPRING/BREAK Art Show
The Space Between the Edges
Drawings by Erin Fostel | Curated by Sara Perone
Steeped in the surreal, window reflections offer a multidimensional view - glass panes act as portals between interior and exterior space, presenting oscillating fragmentations of both simultaneously. Curated by Sara Perone, "The Space Between the Edges" features charcoal drawings from Erin Fostel's ongoing Window Series, inviting consideration of what is seen and what is hidden, and exploration of a realm between.
Curatorial Statement
“We find beauty not in the thing itself but in the patterns of shadows, the light and darkness, that one thing
against another creates.”
- Junichiro Tanizaki, In Praise of Shadows
We experience the world at the intersection of fact and perception. As we observe and move through it, our understanding is informed by what we carry with us – our memories, our experiences, our tastes, our prejudices. Surrounded by an exterior world over which we have little control, in private we seek to create an inner sanctum -- somewhere we may explore with more uninhibited freedom. How we relate to place, what we choose to exchange or share with others vs. what we choose to keep hidden helps shape our interior and exterior worlds, the meeting of which is where we can explore ourselves more honestly. Intrinsically linked, how we navigate each of these spaces constantly grows and evolves to incorporate what we take in from the other.
When considering the bridging of place, I think of artist Erin Fostel. In her work, Fostel focuses on creating imagery of personal and shared public spaces, from intimate home interiors to dreamy nocturnal landscapes taken from meandering night walks. What sets her apart from others working in this medium is the intense vulnerability with which she makes her work. Every mark, every subtle shade is made with an attention to intimacy. How easy it is to get lost in a shadow, and to reflect on our own desires and attentions. Fostel’s representational charcoal drawings may depict space, but within their frames she presents us with an opportunity to take space, to take time, to meander ourselves.
This is no different in the artist’s ongoing Window Series. Steeped in the surreal, window reflections offer a multi-dimensional view. We can see what is before us and what is behind us simultaneously, half reflection, half invitation. In her wanderings, Erin Fostel has collected photographs of window reflections observed from the outside, transcribing them into intimate drawings in the sanctuary of her studio. From this point of view, that of peering into a window at just the right angle, with the light hitting just right, two spaces merge to bring forth a new scene altogether. We can see glimpses into a separate space in front of us while the surrounding world, what would be out of view, is mirrored back. One perspective suddenly becomes multiple; we can see in all directions but not all things. Homes and businesses merge with streets and mountains, their details and forms are melded together in Fostel’s renderings. Fragmentations of interior and exterior space quietly oscillate portions of what can and cannot be seen, a fleeting visual moment fixed in time through charcoal.
The result is an immersive view into both the deeply magical and the mundane.
In this interplay of light, shadow and perception, not all aspects are immediately apparent, but these drawings are as much about what is absent as what is present. Fostel invites the viewer to consider what is discernible and what is hidden, though she seeks to depict a realm between. It is in this indescribable place at the fringes of what we know and what we do not where life is. The Space Between the Edges explores how these reflections of interior and exterior space transcend visual representation, inviting us to consider our own relationships to the spaces we occupy and the transient beauty of everyday life.
This exhibition is curated by Sara Perone, independent curator & artist.
Curator and Artist Bios
Sara Perone (American, b. 1993) is a photographic artist and independent curator working in Baltimore, MD. From 2013 - 2015, she acted as Co-Founder and Co-Director of artist-run space La Bodega Gallery in the Copy Cat building of the Station North Arts District - a gallery established with the intention to provide exhibition opportunities and affordable studio space to other local and emerging artists — and later served as a guest curator at Little Berlin in Philadelphia, PA. She currently holds the position of Gallery Manager at C. Grimaldis Gallery where she assists in the coordination of various exhibitions and fairs. In both her artwork and curatorial projects, Perone is interested in liminal space, fixation, and the invisible. She is obsessed with grey area and will dissect the sliver between two nestled things as if it were its own universe entirely.
Erin Fostel (American, b.1981) is a visual artist who creates representational drawings with charcoal. Her work often depicts the everyday moments of life, from images of intimate home interiors to the shared public space. She holds a BFA in Drawing and Art History from the Maryland Institute College of Art and has exhibited throughout the United States and Europe, including: the C. Grimaldis Gallery (Baltimore, MD); Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art (Virginia Beach, VA); Utah Museum of Contemporary Art (Salt Lake City, UT); Neon Gallery (Wroclaw, Poland); Moving Poets Novilla (Berlin, Germany); and the Academy Art Museum (Easton, MD). Fostel is a 2019 recipient of the Municipal Art Society of Baltimore City Artist Travel Prize and a Maryland State Arts Council Individual Artist Award. Her drawings are in the collections of the Baltimore Museum of Art, the Maryland Center for History and Culture, CFG Bank, and the Robert W. Deutsch Foundation. Her studio is based in Baltimore, MD.