26 May - June 24 2023, Wilder Alison: Lacunary Seeming
"J/e is the symbol of the lived, rending experience which is m/y writing, of this cutting in two which throughout literature is an exercise of the language which does not constitute m/e as subject. J/e poses the ideological and historic question of feminine subjects."
- Monique Wittig
Lacunary Seeming presents six new works by Alison whose practice is informed by an ongoing process composed of dying, cutting, and sewing fabrics so as to appear variegated. Color spheres are produced and reinforced and forsake the constructed diagonal lines reappearing throughout the work.
Alison couples notions of reading and articulation with the work's resemblance to an infinite, alphabet-like set of characters whose final forms – much like handwritten letters – stem from a convergence of unpredictable conditions. The color-based formulations range from what becomes or is healed through a process of sewing the dyed wool fragments together.
While Lacunary Seeming is on view, Wilder Alison and Jazmina Figueroa will develop and publish a text motivated by the evolution of Alison's work in relation to French feminist theorist Monique Wittig's The Lesbian Body. Wittig's 1973 novel can be read as a story of the corporal invasion and dismemberment occurring via the physical encounters between lovers and assailants; and, in its original French, the pronoun “je”splits to “j/e”. In its English translation, the “I” cannot be split, thus it is italicized, as a slash appears instead in “m/e” and “m/y”. The combination of these symbols throughout the text compels the “I” to feel the division, spitting selfhood and identity. Wittig's exploration of a split subjectivity underscores the idea that language creates a divide between interiority, and selfhood, leaving space for elucidating the self and the Other. Alison's wool paintings use this I / for their guiding structure, the central figure in each composition is a right-slanting diagonal bar: the I or the slash.
This show will coincide with a residency at Lateral Roma where Alison foregrounds the practice and research around a series of dyed wool paintings that are constituted in trans-ness, queerness, and neurodivergence. The one-month residency and exhibition corresponds with the 20th anniversary of Monique Wittig’s death and the 50th anniversary of the publication of The Lesbian Body. Monique Wittig’s influence is celebrated by a network of artists and researchers in Europe throughout 2023.
Wilder Alison is an American interdisciplinary artist and a 2016 graduate of the Bard MFA Painting program. In recent years, Alison has exhibited work with Gordon-Robichaux, Gaa Gallery, Rachel Uffner, CUE Foundation, and 247365, among others. Recent solo shows include mirror air error hunger at Gaa Projects (Cologne), A Ripe Blackberry Murmurs to the Wall at FIERMAN (New York), the faucethe drain breach\ a new /ife at Gaa Gallery (Provincetown), and Slit Subjects at White Columns (New York). Alison was a fellow at Schloss Solitude in 2022-23 and the Fine Arts Work Center in 2016-17 and 2018-19. Alison has also participated in residencies at Triangle France-Astérides, Lighthouse Works, Fire Island Artist Residency, and Lower East Side Printshop, among others. In late 2023, Alison will present a solo project at KAJE (Brooklyn).
OPENING TIMES:
Lacunary Seeming is on view until 24 June 2023 and can be visited by appointment. For info please contact info@lateralroma.eu.
26 May - June 24 2023, Wilder Alison: Lacunary Seeming
"J/e is the symbol of the lived, rending experience which is m/y writing, of this cutting in two which throughout literature is an exercise of the language which does not constitute m/e as subject. J/e poses the ideological and historic question of feminine subjects."
- Monique Wittig
Lacunary Seeming presents six new works by Alison whose practice is informed by an ongoing process composed of dying, cutting, and sewing fabrics so as to appear variegated. Color spheres are produced and reinforced and forsake the constructed diagonal lines reappearing throughout the work.
Alison couples notions of reading and articulation with the work's resemblance to an infinite, alphabet-like set of characters whose final forms – much like handwritten letters – stem from a convergence of unpredictable conditions. The color-based formulations range from what becomes or is healed through a process of sewing the dyed wool fragments together.
While Lacunary Seeming is on view, Wilder Alison and Jazmina Figueroa will develop and publish a text motivated by the evolution of Alison's work in relation to French feminist theorist Monique Wittig's The Lesbian Body. Wittig's 1973 novel can be read as a story of the corporal invasion and dismemberment occurring via the physical encounters between lovers and assailants; and, in its original French, the pronoun “je”splits to “j/e”. In its English translation, the “I” cannot be split, thus it is italicized, as a slash appears instead in “m/e” and “m/y”. The combination of these symbols throughout the text compels the “I” to feel the division, spitting selfhood and identity. Wittig's exploration of a split subjectivity underscores the idea that language creates a divide between interiority, and selfhood, leaving space for elucidating the self and the Other. Alison's wool paintings use this I / for their guiding structure, the central figure in each composition is a right-slanting diagonal bar: the I or the slash.
This show will coincide with a residency at Lateral Roma where Alison foregrounds the practice and research around a series of dyed wool paintings that are constituted in trans-ness, queerness, and neurodivergence. The one-month residency and exhibition corresponds with the 20th anniversary of Monique Wittig’s death and the 50th anniversary of the publication of The Lesbian Body. Monique Wittig’s influence is celebrated by a network of artists and researchers in Europe throughout 2023.
Wilder Alison is an American interdisciplinary artist and a 2016 graduate of the Bard MFA Painting program. In recent years, Alison has exhibited work with Gordon-Robichaux, Gaa Gallery, Rachel Uffner, CUE Foundation, and 247365, among others. Recent solo shows include mirror air error hunger at Gaa Projects (Cologne), A Ripe Blackberry Murmurs to the Wall at FIERMAN (New York), the faucethe drain breach\ a new /ife at Gaa Gallery (Provincetown), and Slit Subjects at White Columns (New York). Alison was a fellow at Schloss Solitude in 2022-23 and the Fine Arts Work Center in 2016-17 and 2018-19. Alison has also participated in residencies at Triangle France-Astérides, Lighthouse Works, Fire Island Artist Residency, and Lower East Side Printshop, among others. In late 2023, Alison will present a solo project at KAJE (Brooklyn).
OPENING TIMES:
Lacunary Seeming is on view until 24 June 2023 and can be visited by appointment. For info please contact info@lateralroma.eu.