The Bolsky Gallery is pleased to present LIGHT AS A FEATHER / HEAVY AS LEAD, an exhibition of hybrid paintings, sculptures and installations by artist Sharon Barnes.
Barnes’ syncretic practice reflects the exhibition’s title which is inspired by lyrics from Bob Marley and Shakespeare’s phrase “feather as lead.” The “space between” is a conceptual and aesthetic focus of her work as she explores the blurred lines between form, space, perception, and existence itself. Interested in the potential of objects to speak about the human condition, Barnes uses Social Abstraction, process, and an array of materials to mine cultural and social contexts that come in dialogue with literature, music, and actual events.
Barnes’ MFA Thesis show combines painting with object-making in the form of large-scale unstretched canvases, as well as in companion works on wood. Free-standing sculptural works include plaster, fabric, netting, guitar strings, piano wire, and steel in How It Feels to Be Free,” inspired by musical icons who lived during times of social activism.
Reflecting the title of the exhibition is a work suspended from the ceiling, created from an empty salvaged chair and the found feathers of mourning doves. “In this show”, says the artist, “I’m thinking about the distillation of what is light and what is heavy, and how these can converge as spaces of resistance, resilience, and beauty.”
Sharon Louise Barnes has exhibited in galleries, colleges, and museums. Her work is part of the permanent collection of the UCLA Ralph Bunche Center for African American Studies, the California African American Museum, and other collections. She is expected to complete her MFA in Fine Arts in May 2021.
