Curator J. T. Kirkland couldn’t have landed a better location for his new exhibit, Supple, on display upstairs at the Warehouse Gallery. Sometimes a state of surprised desperation can work in one’s favor. As we noted last week, he originally planned to have the show at relatively unknown The Space at 9th and N Sts. NW. While he initially deemed the owners “extremely generous,” The Space cancelled on Kirkland just short five days before the opening.
What’s a curator to do? Spend the weekend panicking, contacting everyone he knows and hoping to gain sympathy from the local D.C. arts scene? Doesn’t sound like much of a plan, but it worked, and it didn’t even take the whole weekend. Kirkland went to bed on Saturday night worried about disappointing the artists involved. By noon Sunday, he had numerous offers of help and space options.
As it turns out, the adopted venue fits perfectly with the exhibition. Preparing to open No Representation, Warehouse Gallery graciously agreed to host Supple, as well. Certainly, Kirkland’s earlier statements of generosity more aptly describe Warehouse owner and curator Molly Ruppert, as well as fellow curators Sondra Arkin, Phillippa Hughes and Ellyn Weiss for their last minute support and flexibility.
Both exhibits showcase abstract works, although Supple focuses specifically on texture and, well, suppleness. Without prior knowledge, a visitor might even think the two rooms dedicated to Supple are simply a subset of the larger No Representation show.
While the front gallery of Supple is clean with white walls and white window coverings to eliminate any distractions, the rear gallery is just about as gritty as they get. Peeling paint, stained floors and open windows revealing hidden cityscapes of alleyways and rooftops: it’s beautiful, it’s supple, and it’s oh-so-textured. The shadows created by the ceiling-hung layers of white porcelain ribbons of Laurel Lukaszewski’s Cascade are enhanced by the texture of the peeling walls, as if to question whether the shadowy texture was the artwork and the porcelain simply a tool.
