February 5-27, 2016

Branching Out

Branching Out brings together the graphic pen and ink drawings of Alex L. Porter with Marc Robarge’s biomorphic sculptures. Through the carefully detailed rendering of limbs and branches, Porter’s art depicts the language of this natural process. The gesture of these landscape elements is of greater importance than the scenes than they eventually compose. Robarge’s work consists of two related, yet distinct, directions. Both paths are rooted in a reverence for natural forms, materials and processes.

Marc Robarge (Falls Church, VA)
This body of work consists of two related, yet distinct, directions. Both paths are rooted in a reverence for natural forms, materials and processes. One branch presents biomorphic sculptures conjured from tree limbs conjoined with pods, bark, berry and leaf-like forms. These works affirm the mystery of regenerative processes within the cycle of life and death. The second branch juxtaposes mass produced machined or technological elements with organic forms that offer an open ended commentary on cultural, societal, and environmental issues.

“Listen to the Rhythm” offers a wry commentary on the “wired in, tuned out” culture of the technological age. “April Showers” suggests an elegant coexistence of organic materials and mass produced plumbing parts alluding to the importance of water stewardship in a world of increasing population.

With a nod to the surrealists, these sculptures are slightly other worldly, illogical, dreamlike or contain incongruous parts, yet they are made of familiar things. They communicate through empathy with the objects and materials, in realms of emotion, sense perception, intuition, and memory, sparking wonder and reflection about the condition of the world.

Alex L. Porter (Washington, DC)
Growth defines the landscape, whether or not it is hampered by human intervention. Through the carefully detailed rendering of limbs and branches, Alex Porter’s art depicts the language of this natural process. The gesture of these landscape elements is of greater importance than the scenes than they eventually compose. His pieces represent a vital chaos, one that is a constant presence wherever it can take hold.

Alex’s process was developed primarily in consideration of this way of looking at the landscape. His pieces are laboriously hand-drawn ink-on-paper works entirely comprised of careful, purposeful marks.This is done, not in the service of crafting an illusion of nature, but rather committing to meditating on its process. To avoid becoming primarily ‘scenery’, the content of his images is displayed in form, but without color or depth.