CRITIC’S PICKS: DALLAS
By John Zotos
Jeff Zilmis an abstract painter and a veritable film
addict; his show at the relatively new ANDNOW
Gallery will showcase this obsession with celluloid.
Zilm uses 8, 16, and 35mm film stock as a starting
point, subsequently breaking the material down with
detergent in order to liquefy the emulsion and mix it
with acrylic paint. This new medium is then used to
paint large-scale abstract monochromes that have
a moody and sublime character. He both sprays and
brushes the emulsion onto canvas, forming an alter-
nating surface texture that reveals hints of depth and
layering. He reserves the material culled from a single
reel to make one unique painting, this conceptually
transforms the entire film into a new creation. In
a way the painting isthe movie, but in a new form.
Something almost alchemical is at work here in the
transformation from a perishable and fragile medium
like film, which fades with time, into a painting that
will survive for centuries assuming the proper condi-
tions are maintained. Zilm undoubtedly wants the
viewer to ponder the impending loss of countless
films languishing in studio vaults that will never go
through restoration and digital preservation; as such,
his art signifies an intervention in film history.
Jeff Zilm’s new work will be on view at ANDNOW gallery,
April 16 – May 21, 2016.
Words like ponderous and visually immersive aptly
describe Natasha Bowdoin’s site-specific sculpture,
which will be featured in an upcoming show at Talley
Dunn Gallery. Her colorful wall sculptures composed
of cut paper and latex have the power to pull the
viewer down the rabbit hole, much like Alice, in Lewis
Carroll’s story. His texts, among other writers’, have
actually inspired previous pieces, as Bowdoin draws
inspiration from literary works and seeks to explore
their intersection with the visual realm. Her massive
installations, verging on the abstract, will share the
gallery with the intimate bronze sculptures of Linda
Ridgway,whose art deals in memory and depictions
of nature, and also finds inspiration in literature. Her
unique cast bronze pieces are delicate, intricate
formations derived from leaves, branches and reeds.
“Bloom,” 2015
Natasha Bowdoin
Site-specific sculptural installation
Savannah College of Art and Design
Photo: courtesy of the artist and Talley Dunn Gallery
60 art ltd - March / April 2016“The Kleptomaniac,” 2014
Jeff Zilm
Acrylic emulsion, gelatin emulsion on canvas
72" x 54"
Photo: courtesy ANDNOW