Relief

Opening: Friday, April 6 from 6pm-9pm at Flatland Gallery    On View: April 6-April 29, 2018

Flatland Gallery presents Relief, a photography exhibition that challenges the nature of two-dimensional images. Relief is curated by Jessi Bowman of FLATS and features the work of Houston-based artists Andi Valentine and Hallie Gluk.

Photo by Houston, TX based Hallie Gluk, courtesy of the artist. Gold cloth with flowers, plants, and a handheld mirror with liquid and screws on it.

As photography continues to grow into its own in the landscape of fine art, artists have begun to push the boundaries of the traditional two-dimensional form. This extra dimensionality ranges from pieces that are printed and mounted using unique materials to sculpture-like installations. Rather than contain themselves within standard frames on blank walls, the pieces that comprise Relief seek to shape and be shaped by their environment, creating immersive spaces for artistic appreciation. Like the ancient art of relief sculpture that came before, the universes created by these photographs project from, yet still belong to, their canvas.

These immersive universes created from photo pieces also act as an aesthetic, if momentary, reprieve from the day-to-day world of panic, confusion, and uncertainty. These respites, these reliefs, are necessary from time to time if we are to affect the change we want to see. Anything can happen when we step into the world of the artist and see through their eyes.

—Jessi Bowman, Co-Founder, FLATS

Photo by Houston, TX based Andi Valentine, courtesy of the artist. Photo of a tree at dusk with leaves falling illuminated by flash.

Hallie Gluk is a Houston-based artist who composes abstract still lifes featuring mirrors and organic components. While her constructs are three dimensional, they are explicitly built to be photographed, which in a way flattens the sculpture to bring it into existence. The photo subjects are also inherently temporal, tying into the Dutch vanitas still life tradition. In this way, Gluk uses her photography to create an impossible sense of space that can only be viewed from one vantage point.

Andi Valentine is a Houston-based artist who seeks to visually express her interest in the many esoteric ideas and teachings of spirituality across a variety of cultures. Valentine explore the alchemy of her personal mental-health journey and bring awareness to the transformative internal work that must be done in order to manifest our biggest dreams externally. She emphasizes the importance of self-care and present the elements of her mental health tool-kit that have allowed her to empower and support herself through daily ups and down by learning how to turn life's challenges into gold. Valentine’s photographic work is supported through other mediums such as painting, sculpture, light, poetry, and sound to form an immersive and multifaceted installation.