"Abstraction Love" Exhibition

From the beginnings of abstraction in the 19th century, with artists such as James McNeill Whistler and John Constable, abstraction was a modern idea that integrated personal expression, psychology, mysticism and other philosophies into visual art to “make something new.” To replicate reality was no longer of primary interest to the avant-garde. Abstraction took dozens of forms in the 20th century, some based on geometry, some based on absurdity, others based on minimalism and quantum physics. The emergence of collage, assemblage, hard edge and color field painting made their way into the canon.

This exhibition provides a glimpse of where several, mostly Midwest, contemporary artists have taken abstraction in the 21st century. From the works of Bernard Williams and Sarah Krepp, which are more solidly rooted in historic forms, to the quirky experimental works of Roland Santana, to the expressive, humorous animation Selina Trepp and inflatable objects of Claire Ashley, each artist has developed a personal artistic language using varied art making materials, experimentation, upbeat optimism, plus a big dose of love!