A celebration of vibrant community and the subtleties of life are shown in the upcoming Artists Collective | Spartanburg exhibition “Bounce & Sway: A Celebration of Community and Life” by Spartanburg artist Kimberly Christopher Rodriguez. The exhibit will be in Gallery II Aug. 8 through Sept. 2, with an artists’ reception during the Aug. 17 ArtWalk Spartanburg.
Christopher-Rodriguez says the exhibition of her hand-pulled prints, drawings, and installation art are “meant to be fun, colorful, thoughtful, and immersive. The artwork invites visitors to experience the spirited bounce of colorful prints and soft sway of the installation.”
The artwork includes a 9-foot-tall by 22-foot-wide installation “meditating on community and identity … a melody of color orbs prints celebrating pattern, hue, and life” and a 5-foot-tall triptych of minimalist woodcuts “reflecting on collective identity and life cycle,” Christopher-Rodriguez says.
The show offers viewers a “glimpse of community, life and identity that is searching, beautiful and enigmatic,” she adds.
Her inspiration for the exhibition came from “thinking about the importance of community, and how collective and personal identity is defined,” Christopher-Rodriguez says. The installation art took shape through “thinking back to formative years and exploring how the cornerstones for collaborative community are taught and learned values but also traits we actively choose throughout life.” As a jovial counterpoint to the reflective portion of the show, the color orb print series is “a celebration of a vibrant, spirited and eclectic family member who embodies the playful and fun side of art and artmaking.”
Christopher-Rodriguez describes her body of work: “Like a foggy morning spent exploring nature, my work aims to bring mystery, contemplation and quiet delight with an elusive simplicity that offers both serenity and a breath for curiosity. My art explores the play between abstraction and realism, and I enjoy blurring the line of where they meet. I value the timelessness of black-and-white yet equally look to harness the beauty and expression of color. My inspiration rises from the natural world, language and literature, the body, spirituality and religion, and the rich heritage of artists and creators who came before me.”
An artist for 16 years, she “grew up exploring the woods of the Spartanburg area, finding a love for art, nature, and learning at an early age and pursued art throughout school.” She went on to study a breadth of disciplines, including ceramics, photography, drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture, art history, gallery studies and digital art, at Clemson University before concentrating in printmaking to complete her BFA in studio art with honors. Her current practice focuses on printmaking, photography, sculpture, installation, painting and drawing “with a keen interest in art history and the dream of sharing my love of printmaking with others,” she says.
The 20 pieces in the exhibition will be offered for purchase, with prices ranging from $75 to $1,500.
“I am honored to be awarded a solo show at the Artists Collective and have enjoyed the challenge of creating a new body of work for myself and my community,” Christopher-Rodriguez says. “It has transformed to my practice to be a part of a nonprofit artists collective. I am part of a rich community of artists from all mediums and backgrounds, have access to incredible facilities – especially for printmaking – and have a venue that opens up the opportunity to give back to my community through the arts.”