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Willoughby Walling
Further Searching For Structure: Webs and Grids
October 5 – November 2, 2002
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Press Release

Gallery 49 is pleased to announce the first New York solo exhibition of Boston-based artist Willoughby Walling, opening on October 5th. Entitled "Further Searching for Structure", the show will include more than 20 acrylic and mixed media paintings, selected from the artist's "Webs" and "Grids" series. In the process of organizing a painting's abstract surface, Walling focuses on two geometric constructs: the web and the grid. In his intricate web paintings, the artist constructs a meandering, all-over network of interlocked triangles spread upon an abstract background. Various shapes and colors emerge to add another dimension, everything being interrelated in a skewed way.

The relationship of the web to the background, as well as the serene color balance are critical, allowing the surface to generate a sensation of breathing, pulsating life and spatial fullness. In the grid series on the other hand, more elementary geometries such as vertical lines and squares, as well as primary colors serve as the organizing mechanism. The background is given structure by the variety of marks, and volumes are structured by plane rather
than line.

Willoughby Walling's involvement with surface organization in abstraction began more than ten years ago, the "Searching for Structure" theme reflecting the artist's long time fascination with color combinations and rhythmic patterns as metaphors for interrelationships of humans in the field of existence. "I try to discover or impose a framework on apparent chaos. The paintings portray my faith that life does have a structure or relatedness, even if it is only vaguely discernable."

"Further Searching For Structure" will be on display October 5-November 2, 2002 at Gallery@49, 322 West 49th Street (between 8th and 9th Avenues). A reception for the artist will be held Saturday, October 5 from 6 to 8PM. Gallery@49 can be reached by subways E, C to 50th St. or N, R to 49th St. Hours: Tuesday - Saturday 12 noon - 6PM and by appointment. For additional information or visual material please call (212)767-0855 or e-mail info@gallery49.com