November 2009

MIKE RIEGEL

The recent series of sculpture, the "tar series", is a departure in use of material and function. The past three years I have been making figurative work in concrete and steel. Concrete by nature is heavy. Weight dictates how a sculpture will function, how it will stand, how it will be balanced. The method of construction in the tar series has eliminated the weight factor, letting the work function in a different way. The concrete sculpture needed heavy bases to counterweight the upper torso of the figure. The tar sculpture functions without a base, free standing and in opposition to gravity. In some cases the figures are bottom weighted with only two points of contact with the floor. Gravity is always in opposition to freestanding sculpture.The application of hardware cloth over a steel framework forms a textural lineal pattern that references basketry. The tar skin accentuates the subtlety of the form and gives the work a semitransparent shell. The shell reminds me of the body shell shed by certain insects, beautiful and compelling but eerie at the same time.

Torso 62 x 16 x 14 inches Steel and Tar 2009	Trunk 77 x 24 x 24 inches Steel and Tar 2009	You and Me 73 x 30 x 36 inches Steel and Tar 2009	Disjoined 22 x 14 x 8 inches Steel and Tar 2009
G-Slick 21 x 26 x 8 inches Steel and Tar 2009	Skull 79 x 40 x 41 inches Steel and Tar 2009	Surreptitious 17 x 23 x 10 inches Steel and Tar 2009	Penance 69 x 30 x 21 inches Steel and Tar 2009
Everydayman 67 x 51 x 26 inches Steel and Tar 2009	Inconspicuous Self 84 x 16 x 18 inches Steel and Tar 2009	Looking Left 18 x 22 x 9 inches Steel and Tar 2009	Catharsis 80 x 28 x 43 inches Steel and Tar 2009
Cats Cradle 69 x 23 x 14 inches Steel and Tar 2009	Anomaly 80 x 16 x 12 inches Steel and Tar 2009	Bouffant 24 x 10 x 12 inches Steel and Tar 2009

AGELIO BATLE

Agelio Batle works with carbonaceous graphite, the mineral remains of prehistoric life. Combining ancient materials and new technologies, he developed a (proprietary) method to suspend graphite in a matrix hat allows him to work with it in both solid and liquid forms. The artist has acute knowledge of the physical structure of his materials; he has a Bachelor's degree in Biology and a Master's in Fine Arts. Whereas the paintings are consistent with the flat crystalline structure of carbon that forms graphite, the arrangement in the sculptures are similar to the carbon structure that forms Diamonds, An intricate network of interconnected polygons gives shape to his metal sculpture, a series "Untitled Heads".

Prayer Shadow Suspended Graphite on Paper	Bird Shadow Suspended Graphite on Paper	Untitled Suspended Graphite on Paper	Tree Back Suspended Graphite on Paper
Cloak Suspended Graphite on Paper	Cloud Ear Suspended Graphite on Paper	Cloud Man Suspended Graphite on Paper	Cloud Suspended Graphite on Paper
Leak Suspended Graphite on Paper	Man on Stump Suspended Graphite on Paper	Prayer Black Drops Suspended Graphite on Paper	Friends Suspended Graphite on Paper
Big Head Suspended Graphite on Paper 47 x 60 inches