Tara Donovan, Screen Drawing (2021), via Pace
On view this month, from January 13 to February 25 at Pace, artist Tara Donovan brings together a selection of screen drawings made with aluminum insect screen, a body of work that began during the pandemic, and which involves moving, pinching, and cutting the wires of an aluminum screen to extract mesmeric patterns from the material’s existing grids. Ranging from just over a foot in height and width to nearly four feet wide and tall, these two-dimensional screen drawings feature unique geometric motifs that produce varied visual effects.
Tara Donovan, Screen Drawing (2021), via Pace
Referred to as drawings, Donovan’s work here continues a longstanding investigation into the possibilities—and limits—of human perception, often explored and worked through using taut geometric patterns, repetition, and a range of home-sourced materials. The artist’s practice, which spans sculpture, installation, drawing, and printmaking, centers on transformations of familiar, everyday objects into talismanic, shapeshifting works of art that fully reveal themselves to viewers during in-person encounters. Requiring sustained contemplation on the part of the viewer, Donovan’s screen drawings change when experienced from different vantage points. With this body of work, the artist brings viewers into a suspended, meditative state, encouraging them to look closely to delve into the screens’ subtleties, nuances, and multitudes.
Tara Donovan, Screen Drawing (2022), via Pace
In creating her screen drawings, Donovan uses a mathematical methodology to draw out the phenomenological and illusionistic properties of the material. While some patterns seem to be rendered in relief, others appear to emerge from the depths of the grids. The intricate, layered appearances of Donovan’s patterns belie the artist’s use of one singular piece of screen for each of these works. Interstitial spaces between the lines in her compositions buzz with energy and activity, and all the screen drawings in the artist’s forthcoming exhibition are united by a sense of constant motion. Many also possess a distinctly digital quality that contributes to their aliveness.
Tara Donovan, Screen Drawing (2021), via Pace
The works take on a similar methodology and effect as that of a mandala, repetitive, graphic patterns that serve as both a soothing, subtle visual motif, and equally lay the ground work for more transcendent experiences in space and human expression.
The show closes February 25th.
– D. Creahan
Read more:
Tara Donovan at Pace [Exhibition Site]
