PRESS RELEASE

DECEMBER 10, 2002 - JANUARY 25, 2003
JUDITH WILDE
RANDOM TARGETS

OPENING RECEPTION:
TUESDAY   |   DEC. 10TH, 2002   |   6-8PM

Gallery @ 49 is pleased to announce the third solo exhibition of New York artist, Judith Wilde. Wilde's figurative paintings in her new series are circular in format. She superimposes women's faces on police and military body targets in a carnival shooting gallery setting. The paintings skillfully merge an array of diverse elements that include graphic symbolism, organic elements, gold leaf and typography.

Also in this exhibition are a series of Wilde's geometric paintings, which vacillate between the non-objective and narrative genres. Here the backgrounds have become more prominent, transporting the viewer further into the textured panoply of Wildeis making. Within a severely symmetrical format, color, scale, form and balance are augmented by the religious nature of gold leaf. The spatial relationships are ambiguous as to foreground and background, which fosters a sense of intrigue.

These geometric paintings continue to reference targets, religious and American icons and Native American patterns culminating in a Zen-like sensibility that rely on the surface activity, texture and pattern. Wilde challenges the viewer to experience each piece on a plurality of levels. Unlike the figurative work, which is a combination of story telling that evokes social issues coupled with religious overtones, these paintings deal directly with an obvious spiritual agenda. Hence, an exhibition that shows transition, resulting in two distinct bodies of work connected by the filament of process and concept.

"Random Targets" will be on display December 10, 2002 - January 25, 2003 at Gallery @ 49, 322 West 49th Street (Between 8th and 9th Ave). Opening reception for the artist will be held Tuesday, December 10, 2002 from 6 to 8 PM.

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