Archway Gallery
Upcoming Exhibition Calendar
Upcoming Exhibition Calendar
December 5, 2020 - January 7, 2021
Resonance
Featuring New Woven Artworks by Laura Viada
Virtual Exhibition Walk-Through and Artist's Talk
Premieres Saturday, Dec 5 at 6:30 p.m.
Laura Viada’s first solo exhibition at Archway Gallery explores the theme of “resonance," as both a physical phenomenon and as an emotional, transcendent component of human creativity. Laura is an artist who works in the medium of fiber, primarily as a handweaver. Using linen, silk, cotton, and metallic threads as
her “paints” she creates visually complex artworks using the simple elements of basic geometric form and the interaction of color.
Resonance occurs when one object is vibrating at the same natural frequency as a second object and pushes that second object into vibrational motion. It is both a cause and a quality of sound in musical instruments, and the phenomenon by which color is perceived. When an object’s natural vibrational frequency matches that of a point on the visible spectrum, light waves hitting the object cause that frequency to be reflected. Laura has long studied and explored the way the human eyes and brain receive and interpret those reflected frequencies as specific color, and how they blend color through a process known as optical mixing. The artworks in this exhibition all reflect that exploration.
When we are moved or inspired by something – a speech, a poem, an image, a piece of music – we often say that it “resonates” with us. It has touched us and evoked an emotional response. This exhibition is Laura’s homage to the three artists whose lives and work have most resonated with her – who have touched her and inspired her to respond in her own creative language: Josef Albers, Anni Albers, and Carlos Cruz Diez. Each piece in this exhibition is dedicated to one of these three artists.
This exhibition is presented in conjunction with 32@32, a series of concerts celebrating the 250th birthday of Ludwig van Beethoven, with pianist Adam Golka. Adam, 32 years old, will perform the full cycle of Beethoven’s 32 piano sonatas over a series of recitals in the gallery during the month of December. This event’s coinciding with her first solo show at Archway, inspired Laura to explore “resonance” as a theme. “My earliest memories involve Beethoven’s symphonies,” Laura recalls. “My mother played them constantly on our record player. I could identify the symphonies before I could walk, and have been told that I did so, rather imperiously, from my highchair! To say that Beethoven’s music resonates with me is an understatement. To this day he is by far my favorite composer and I never tire of his music, no matter how many times I’ve heard a particular piece.” In addition to being dedicated to a specific artist, each piece in this exhibition bears a title referencing the music and Adam’s performances. The goal is to create a complete and cohesive artistic experience.
Laura Viada is a handweaver and fiber artist who creates works of art in natural fibers and metallics. While taking a pause from a demanding career in law, she discovered weaving, fell in love with the world of fiber and never looked back. For the past 25 years, Laura has been an active member of Texas’ fiber art community. Her work has been exhibited nationally and has won numerous awards. In 2008, she spent 9 months as an Artist-in-Residence at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft and served on the Center’s Artist-in Residence Selection Panel from 2013 to 2015. Laura joined Archway Gallery in December 2017. This is her first solo exhibition at Archway.
her “paints” she creates visually complex artworks using the simple elements of basic geometric form and the interaction of color.
Resonance occurs when one object is vibrating at the same natural frequency as a second object and pushes that second object into vibrational motion. It is both a cause and a quality of sound in musical instruments, and the phenomenon by which color is perceived. When an object’s natural vibrational frequency matches that of a point on the visible spectrum, light waves hitting the object cause that frequency to be reflected. Laura has long studied and explored the way the human eyes and brain receive and interpret those reflected frequencies as specific color, and how they blend color through a process known as optical mixing. The artworks in this exhibition all reflect that exploration.
When we are moved or inspired by something – a speech, a poem, an image, a piece of music – we often say that it “resonates” with us. It has touched us and evoked an emotional response. This exhibition is Laura’s homage to the three artists whose lives and work have most resonated with her – who have touched her and inspired her to respond in her own creative language: Josef Albers, Anni Albers, and Carlos Cruz Diez. Each piece in this exhibition is dedicated to one of these three artists.
This exhibition is presented in conjunction with 32@32, a series of concerts celebrating the 250th birthday of Ludwig van Beethoven, with pianist Adam Golka. Adam, 32 years old, will perform the full cycle of Beethoven’s 32 piano sonatas over a series of recitals in the gallery during the month of December. This event’s coinciding with her first solo show at Archway, inspired Laura to explore “resonance” as a theme. “My earliest memories involve Beethoven’s symphonies,” Laura recalls. “My mother played them constantly on our record player. I could identify the symphonies before I could walk, and have been told that I did so, rather imperiously, from my highchair! To say that Beethoven’s music resonates with me is an understatement. To this day he is by far my favorite composer and I never tire of his music, no matter how many times I’ve heard a particular piece.” In addition to being dedicated to a specific artist, each piece in this exhibition bears a title referencing the music and Adam’s performances. The goal is to create a complete and cohesive artistic experience.
Laura Viada is a handweaver and fiber artist who creates works of art in natural fibers and metallics. While taking a pause from a demanding career in law, she discovered weaving, fell in love with the world of fiber and never looked back. For the past 25 years, Laura has been an active member of Texas’ fiber art community. Her work has been exhibited nationally and has won numerous awards. In 2008, she spent 9 months as an Artist-in-Residence at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft and served on the Center’s Artist-in Residence Selection Panel from 2013 to 2015. Laura joined Archway Gallery in December 2017. This is her first solo exhibition at Archway.
January 9 - February 4, 2021
Duo • Identity
Featuring Recent Works by Jiashan Lang and Anthony Pabillano
Virtual Exhibition Walk-Through and Artists' Talk
Premieres Saturday, Jan 9 at 6:30 p.m.
In this joint exhibition, Jiashan Lang and Anthony Pabillano explore ideas related to duality and contrast, as well as identity and culture through their shared interest in figurative art. Jiashan Lang’s three-dimensional figurines invite the viewer to encircle each piece and examine it closely for the fine details of her sculpture, whereas Anthony Pabillano’s two-dimensional pieces (some life-sized) rely on the surfaces of walls for support and are optimally viewed from a vantage point.
Lang and Pabillano tell stories through their figurative art. Lang’s dough figurines are based on scenes and events from Chinese history and literature; they depict traditional people, folklore, and scenes from ancient times. By contrast, Pabillano’s layered paper images portray contemporary Houstonians; people he has met, whose stories he relates to, and whose voices he hears as representatives of our culturally and linguistically diverse city. Though their stories contrast in terms of time and context, there are parities that weave the two bodies of work together. Lang and Pabillano are equally concerned with culture and identity – they strive to understand, capture, and celebrate the lives of others, past and present. In doing so, they seek not only to explore culture and identity in others but also to discover and define their own along the way.
“Dough figurines are a very old Chinese art form,” Jiashan Lang explains, “with their origins dating back to the Song Dynasty around 1000 CE. These figurines preserve Chinese history and lore by passing it down through the ages.” Lang’s technique involves coloring the rice dough and then sculpting it into the desired form so that no painting is required. Her work is in the collections of various museums, galleries, and individual collectors around the world.
The elevation of paper from a substrate to a medium has informed Anthony Pabillano’s choice of materials and style as he pursues his foundational interest in portraiture. Early in his career, he began creating portraits by layering blocks of colored paper cut along the defining contours of the human figure. He has spent many years developing and perfecting his technique. Through his portraits, Pabillano explores all aspects of the human condition and experience, from ideas relating to self and identity to topics about diversity.
Lang and Pabillano tell stories through their figurative art. Lang’s dough figurines are based on scenes and events from Chinese history and literature; they depict traditional people, folklore, and scenes from ancient times. By contrast, Pabillano’s layered paper images portray contemporary Houstonians; people he has met, whose stories he relates to, and whose voices he hears as representatives of our culturally and linguistically diverse city. Though their stories contrast in terms of time and context, there are parities that weave the two bodies of work together. Lang and Pabillano are equally concerned with culture and identity – they strive to understand, capture, and celebrate the lives of others, past and present. In doing so, they seek not only to explore culture and identity in others but also to discover and define their own along the way.
“Dough figurines are a very old Chinese art form,” Jiashan Lang explains, “with their origins dating back to the Song Dynasty around 1000 CE. These figurines preserve Chinese history and lore by passing it down through the ages.” Lang’s technique involves coloring the rice dough and then sculpting it into the desired form so that no painting is required. Her work is in the collections of various museums, galleries, and individual collectors around the world.
The elevation of paper from a substrate to a medium has informed Anthony Pabillano’s choice of materials and style as he pursues his foundational interest in portraiture. Early in his career, he began creating portraits by layering blocks of colored paper cut along the defining contours of the human figure. He has spent many years developing and perfecting his technique. Through his portraits, Pabillano explores all aspects of the human condition and experience, from ideas relating to self and identity to topics about diversity.
February 6 - March 4, 2021
Regeneration
Featuring New Works in Clay, Paint, and Glass by
Carol Berger, Liz Conces Spencer, and Gene Hester
Virtual Exhibition Walk-Through and Artists' Talk
Premieres Saturday, Feb 6 at 6:30 p.m.