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Theodora Varnay Jones, Transparency #32, 2007, color etching, acrylic polymer, pigments, wood structure, 14 1/4 x 14 1/4 x 4 inches, Courtesy of the Artist and Don Soker Contemporary Art, SF
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NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Theodora Varnay Jones
Retrospective Exhibition
Coming to the San Jose ICA
Solo Exhibition Marks First Bay
Area Survey of Artist's Work
October 2009, SAN JOSE, CA - The San
Jose Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA)
presents Manifold, a solo exhibition by postminimalist sculptor and
installation artist
Theodora Varnay Jones.
Manifold will be on view from
November 7, 2009 through
February 20, 2010. The installation in the ICA's Focus Gallery
provides visitors with a
unique opportunity to see the breadth, depth and
evolution of Varnay Jones' work over
the past thirty years. Comprised of two- and three- dimensional
works including
drawings, constructed works and re-conceptualized ready-made
pieces, the exhibition
reflects the artist's systematic exploration of repetition,
form and material. A
public
reception will be held on Friday, November 6th from 6pm to 8pm.
By using opposing media such as paper and rocks,
fiberglass and beeswax, clay and
gauze, Varnay Jones creates objects infused
with a palpable tension between the
conflicting nature of the materials and the
equilibrium of their carefully balanced
compositions. The resulting forms are open-ended and
ambiguous, while also evoking
concepts related to invisibility, emptiness,
memory, perception, and time. The
Artist's
careful layering of translucent and transparent materials traps light
within her works,
creating restlessness between what is revealed and what is
concealed within the
multiple layers of each piece. The objects often reveal subtle hints at
their hand-made
quality despite the precision of their construction.
"Throughout our 29-year
history, the ICA has maintained a reputation for
discovering new talent as well
as providing meaningful exposure for under-recognized
mid-career artists," says
ICA Executive Director, Cathy Kimball. "During the past 30
years, Theodora has
created a diverse body of work that includes sculpture, drawings,
prints,
assemblages and installations. Manifold
presents an exciting and unique
opportunity to see and experience how this
accomplished artist's work has evolved and
how her earlier work has informed
her art making over the years," explains Kimball.
A Talking Art conversation with Varnay Jones will be held on
Thursday, January 14,
2010 from 7pm to 9pm at the ICA. An
accomplished printmaker, Varnay Jones
has also
been invited to participate in the ICA Print Center's 2010 Artist in Residence Program.
Hungarian-born Varnay
Jones has lived in San Francisco for over thirty-five years.
She received her BFA and MFA from the Academy
of Fine Arts in Budapest. Her work
have been exhibited extensively, nationally, and in Europe and Asia and she has
received
numerous awards and grants.
Also opening on November 7th at the ICA, Afterlife- a group exhibition of works
that
explores new meanings and new lives of discarded and re-used materials. The
show will be on view in the ICA's Main
Gallery and Cardinale Project Room through
January 23, 2010. Guest curated by Kathryn Funk, Afterlife includes sculpture, video,
and multi-media
work from artists Claudia Borgna, Mark Fox-Morgan, Elisabeth Higgins
O'Connor,
Lisa Kokin, Charlotte Kruk, Robert Larson, Scott Oliver, Beverly Rayner, and
Ann Weber. A public reception will be
held on Friday, November 6, 2009 from 6pm to
8pm.
Night
Moves, after-dark
programming in the ICA's front windows presents
Fish Out of Water, a video piece by artist Claudia Borgna, on view
from November 7,
2009 through January 23, 2010.
Image Captions:
Theodora
Varnay Jones, step a, Side B,
2006-2009, synthetic materials, pigments, rubber, wood structure24 X 35 1/2 X 34 inches, Courtesy of the Artist and Don Soker Contemporary Art, SF
Ann Weber, Topsy, Turvey and Miss Priss, 2009, found cardboard, staples, polyurethane, size variable, Courtesy of the Artist and Donna Seager Gallery, San Raphael
***
Manifold
is supported in part by a grant from the James Irvine Foundation. Afterlife
is supported in part by a generous grant from Applied Materials. The San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art
gratefully acknowledges support from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation,
the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Silicon Valley Community
Foundation, Adobe Systems Incorporated, and members of the ICA. The ICA is
supported in part by a Cultural Affairs grant from the City of San Jose and by
a grant from Arts Council Silicon Valley, in partnership with the County of
Santa Clara and the National Endowment for the Arts.
The San Jose Institute
of Contemporary Art (ICA) is an energetic art space located in downtown San
Jose dedicated to making contemporary art accessible and exciting to audiences
of all ages and backgrounds. Exhibitions are presented in three galleries that
display the most current, relevant and often challenging art from the region,
the nation and the world. The ICA is activated by opening receptions, South
First Friday gallery walks, after-dark programming in the front windows, panel
discussions, printmaking workshops, brown bag lunches and impromptu
conversations in the galleries. The ICA
is a member-supported, non-profit organization. Admission to the gallery is free.
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