The Interpretation of Form: From Painting Through Dance to Photography
This exhibition presents a collaboration between two American artists: painter Taylor Smith, and dancer/photographer Marva Dixon. The series consists of a sequence of events, beginning with a set of “wearable paintings” made by Taylor for Marva using canvas and transparent fabric. Marva then photographed herself dancing in and around these paintings. Finally, Marva printed the photographs and the two artists worked together to transform them into monotype prints, a medium that fuses painting and photographic printing methods. Taylor and Marva, two resident artists of the FEU, have a shared interest in exploring how shapes are arranged into two and three-dimensional forms. Taylor explores this idea through large, organic paintings; for Marva, this interest manifests itself by sharp, angular movements and geometric photography. Taylor and Marva combined their strengths into this single exhibition that studies form from the perspectives of painting, photography, and dance. While the main goal of this exhibition is to investigate the formal aspects of art through three specific mediums, it is curated by Marva and Taylor to reveal a story of reconciliation between their different ways of interpreting human and natural forms. Taylor’s paintings employ carefully chosen color harmonies to create a sense of fluidity between organic forms that move in and out of each other. Marva’s dance style re-adjusts these organic forms into sharp, angular movements, cropping, mirroring and distorting their structure through stretching and the extension of the body. The exhibition finishes by fusing Marva and Taylor’s two contrasting ways of thinking through the medium of printmaking, encouraging the viewer to try and pick out their stylistic affinities throughout the exhibition. This final stage represents their success in finding commonalities between their opposing creative processes, presented together through this joint project.
Taylor Smith is a visual artist from Rochester, New York working across the media of painting, printmaking and glassblowing. After receiving a BFA in Painting and a BA in Art History from Boston University, she is currently pursuing a master’s degree in cultural mediation at the École du Louvre in Paris. Her work is presented as a series entitled Organic Abstractions that attempts to reconcile natural and man-made forms, addressing humans’ insatiable desire to change and “perfect” the world around them.
Marva Dixon is originally from Cleveland, Ohio but has called many cities home. She has a BA In Philosophy and Photography from Howard University and an MEd in Secondary Education from Arizona State University. After her undergraduate degree, Marva received teaching fellowships from both Teach For America and Fulbright. At current, her focus is on the art world as a graduate student in IESA’s Contemporary Art program. Marva spends much of her free time dancing. Specializing in modern, hip-hop and aerial silks, her love for dance has allowed her to perform in the United States and South Africa. When she isn’t dancing, Marva can be found re-reading Harry Potter or taking photos. Like her performances, her photography has been featured in exhibitions within the United States and abroad.
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