One must be cautious with the term “organic” these days. The word, once synonymous with nature and biology, has somehow found its way onto everything from bikinis to bleach, leading to skepticism of that which would otherwise boast the now-marketable label. The abstract paintings of Laura Fayer, however, vindicate the much-maligned phrase, seeming every bit as much a part of the earth as they are the artist’s studio. In her second solo show at Thomas Robertello Gallery, the New York City artist presents “Pull of the Moon,” a series of delicate, layered works using acrylics and rice paper to create dreamlike visions of movement, nature, and light. These stratas, formed from Fayer’s own handcrafted stamps and stencils, seem cut from the earth itself. Works like “Fresh Air” showcase brisk, vibrant sweeps of paint, the traces of Fayer’s tools still visible in the white, blue, and crimson contrails. The environmental architecture of another work, titled “Solstice,” draws viewers in with a complex array of dark, inky wisps on the lower end of the rice paper canvas before tapering as it rises up like sable flames blown upward by an unseen wind. Though they may appear simple, Fayer’s works demand attention, their starkness and delicacy evoking awe and respect—not unlike the humbling power of nature in its rawest state. (Jaime Calder)
Through June 13 at Thomas Robertello Gallery, 939 W. Randolph.
Repurposing AI: A Review of Stephanie Dinkins at Stamps Gallery While this show is timely for everyone, I consider its setting within a university art gallery and emerging tech hub like the city of Ann Arbor a subversive provocation which Dinkins invites the greater public—including members of the university community—to consider our own positionality to AI and technology.
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