On View: September 22nd, 2022, 6 – 8 pm – November 12th, 2022
Location: Voltz Clarke Gallery, 195 Chrystie Street, New York, NY, 10002
Hours: Monday – Friday, 10 am–6 pm, Saturday 11-5 pm & by appointment
Contact Info: Juliette@voltzclarke.com, 917.292.6921, Voltzclarke.com
Press Release
In her new paintings, Kallop, whose practice explores universal and fundamental forms and patterns, trains her focus on circles. Discs and spheres are omnipresent in the natural world and we have focused our attention on them since the beginning of recorded history. We have an innate predilection for circular forms and we have always imbued them with meaning. Circles are integral to the studies of math and science and in various cultures they are associated with the divine. These elementary forms represent unity and harmony, but they are also dynamic and unstable. They are simple and complete, yet they signify eternity and infinity. It is these inherent dualities that most interest Kallop, and in these paintings she sets out to examine, synthesize and balance the opposing principles embodied by these familiar forms.
The circles in Kallop’s recent works expand and contract, rotate and orbit. Kallop begins each piece by painting a grid structure, creating an ordered space that grounds the curvilinear forms to follow. Delicate scrims of color accumulate and overlap, generating a sense of luminosity and dimensionality. Concentric circles, serpentine curves and undulating waves emerge from the layers of paint beneath. Finally, shimmering details of gold and silver leaf are carefully placed. The circular forms seen throughout these works conjure celestial bodies, divine forces and portals to other realms. While these captivating paintings are full of movement, the experience of looking at them is one of silence and calm; they provide a meditative space to ponder our existence on this planet and our place in the cosmos.
Kallop’s ordered arrangements call to mind mathematical diagrams and astronomical charts. While these works possess an underlying rigor, there are other influences at play, which infuse them with a distinct richness. Kallop’s fascination with ancient petroglyphs, Buddhist mandalas and Indian Tantra drawing is palpable, as well as her long-standing affection for textile practices such as sewing, weaving and quilting. With her use of organic shapes, geometric symmetry and vivid color, Kallop situates herself within the lineage of modern female painters like Georgia O’Keefe, Agnes Pelton and Hilma af Klint. Kallop synthesizes these varied interests and influences into a unique visual language that investigates the connections between science, spirituality and art.
Kallop received her Master of Fine Arts from The Rhode Island School of Design in 2011, and her Bachelor of Arts from Princeton University in 2004. A recipient of multiple awards and residencies, Kallop has been an Artist in Residence at The Andy Warhol Preserve in Montauk, NY, and has exhibited widely, most notably at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Philadelphia, PA. A New York native, Kallop currently lives and works in downtown Manhattan.
