STILLING LIFE
Exhibit pairs artists who focus on dying people, fading species
Two artists with Ohio roots are teamed in a beautiful and provocative exhibition that considers the temporal, disintegrating nature of life on Earth.
Paula Nees and Eileen Woods pool their multimedia works in “Rust to Dust: Frayed Opulence and Luxuriant Ruin,” continuing through Dec. 30 at the Columbus Cultural Arts Center.
In her works, Woods, who acknowledges that she is preoccupied with death, considers the last words of a diverse group of people. Nees, on the other hand, looks to the environment, especially its endangered creatures, as subjects for her large pieces.
Both artists are represented with a number of works, including a large interactive piece by each.
With “Vanishing Vaquitas,” Nees, who recently moved from Columbus to Portland, Oregon, has created a series of walk-through, marine-inspired curtains. Her see-through gray-and-blue dyed fabrics carry relief prints of the world’s most rare and endangered porpoises. The effect is ephemeral and wistful, as one considers one of Earth’s most fragile creatures.
All of Nees’s works in this exhibit are large and packed with meaning.
“Sacred and Profane” (4 ½ feet by more than 14 ½ feet) considers the sacred cow in India and the rodeo bull in the United States. Which is better off — a cow that wanders trash-littered streets or a steer fed well and held captive to perform? Large images of both adorn a beautifully embroidered yellow field.
Occupying the opposite side of the gallery are Woods’ explorations into the last words of subjects ranging from entertainer and activist Josephine Baker to former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt and including 99-year-old novelist and atheist Diana Athill and English philosopher Thomas Hobbes.
Woods, a Clintonville resident, weaves Hobbes’s quote, “I am about to take my last voyage, a great leap in the dark,” into her interactive gazebo. Visitors enter the nearly 10-foot-square tent to sit on a stool and gaze at cutout quotes in script lettering; the experience is one of contemplation under a night sky filled with glistening words rather than stars.
Athill’s words — not officially her last because she is still alive, turning 100 on Dec. 21 — adorn a black fabric piece of clothing with embroidery and pearls. The words she hopes will serve as her finale: “It’s All Right. Don’t Mind Not Knowing.”
A portion of a black dress with beads and a red tulle underskirt pay tribute to entertainer Josephine Baker, whose last words were “Oh, you young people act like old men. You have no fun.”
And “Utter Nonsense,” the last words of Eleanor Roosevelt, become the title of a whimsical wall installation of more than 40 dyed gloves, each holding a vintage handkerchief.
Woods and Nees, friends and colleagues for decades, wanted to show their works together and submitted the proposal for their joint show to the Cultural Arts Center — which proves to be an ideal venue for their art. Each artist has managed to produce pieces that appeal to the conscience yet still have the power to entertain.