Center for Maine Contemporary Art
From Falmouth, Maine-based artist Allison Hildreth’s show “Darkness Visible,’’ at the Center for Maine Contemporary Art, Rockland, through Jan. 7.
She has said:
“Our earth is a connected fabric of life, interdependent, a product of a long evolutionary process. Bats, the animals that weave the night sky in a chaotic flight, are, for me, the epitome of the wildness of nature.’’
Casco Bay from Falmouth, Maine in 1905.
Rendering of Fort Casco, in Falmouth, in 1705.
From Chilean-born American artist Rodrigo Valenzuela’s show “Weapons,’’ at the Center for Maine Contemporary Art, Rockland, through Sept. 10.
The gallery says:
“Rodrigo Valenzuela’s exhibition incorporates works from two connected and ongoing photographic series, ‘Weapons’ and “Afterwork,’ that are integrated into floor-to-ceiling wood frame structures installed along with ceramic pieces by the artist.
“Through a patina of nostalgic fantasy, Valenzuela’s ‘Weapons’ series offers views of imaginative performances that might take place on a job site once workers depart. Knives, screws, rope, and chains—the tools of many trades—appear reconfigured as sinister phoenixes, ramshackle sculptures, and animistic creatures of dreams. ‘Afterwork’’ presents pictures of somber, silvery rooms filled with mechanical contraptions and fog, possibly from the sweat left hanging in the air after a long day’s work. Valenzuela’s works are animated by a dream-like quality and driven by an urgent human and political exploration: that of global economics and the human dimensions of labor, considered in the wake of neoliberalism.’’
Heading toward Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse
— Photo by Needsmoreritalin
“Continuum (Magenta)’’ (oil on linen — detail), by Grace DeGennaro, at the Center for Maine Contemporary Art, Rockland, through Feb. 23.
The gallery says:
”This exhibit is the second in an ongoing series at CMCA that addresses common themes in contemporary art. The biennial series began in 2017 with ‘Materiality | The Matter of Matter’ and continues to ‘Temporality’ with the work of 14 contemporary artists. ‘Temporality’ explores our deepest questions about the concept of time: What is time, how do we measure it, how can we ascribe value to it? The featured artworks offer their own answers to these questions using painting, photography, sculpture, installation, video and other media. However, one can say that time itself is also a medium in these pieces, as the exhibit webpage points out: The only sure things about time are that "artists need time to make their work and viewers need time to look. ‘Temporality,’ therefore, asks the viewer to slow down and take the time to consider the questions it asks about time and perhaps find the answers.’’
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Rockland, on Penobscot Bay, is a fascinating place — a celebrated arts center, a fishing port and a major recreational-sailing center. Besides the CMCA (designed by the internationally known architect Toshiko Mori), the town is also home to the Farnsworth Museum of Art, which has paintings by Andrew Wyeth and other well-known New England artists. It hosts the Maine Lobster Festival, held annually in honor of the town's primary export: lobster. Rockland's downtown has many small shops, some very charming, including coffee shops, book stores, art supply stores, restaurants, organic markets, computer repair and toy stores. The city's dramatic breakwater, built in the 19th Century, draws tourists.
Downtown Rockland
Some of Rockland’s waterfront
— Photo by Jeff G.
