Verbatim: Allen Brewer

In the months leading up to the opening of his exhibition Verbatim, St. Paul artist Allen Brewer collected short written descriptions of MIA artworks from museum visitors. Back in his studio, he used the descriptions to inspire new paintings, drawings, and sculptures. By removing his own intentions, Brewer sought to “enter into a truly objective mind frame.” Verbatim is a fascinating study of the differences between seeing and writing, and an exploration of the limits of language as they relate to describing art objects and museum experiences.

Download the exhibition brochure of Allen Brewer’s Verbatim (pdf). Watch video interview of Allen Brewer.

 Posture Is Everything: Kristina Estell

For a recent installation at Akademie Schloss Solitude, Germany, Kristina Estell covered the ceiling, walls, and windows of the gallery with a coating of liquid silicone. Painted in thin layers, the rubbery material dried into a drippy, powder-blue sheen that then slowly peeled off the wall. The soft skin bundled on the floor in delicate sheets and folds. In Posture is Everything, Estell built on the success of this previous piece by articulating new sheets of molded silicone in such a way to emphasize the material’s opacity and delicate malleability, and to show how it can sculpt space. Estell’s installations are delicately executed in order to imbue her materials with an intense presence. Estell is based in Duluth and has shown her work in numerous national and international solo shows.

Download the exhibition brochure of Kristina Estell’s Posture is Everything (pdf). Watch a video interview of Kristina Estell.

Generous support for the Minnesota Artists Exhibition Program is provided by The McKnight Foundation and Jerome Foundation.