Indecipherable Messages

Indecipherable Messages

May 20 - June 18, 2017

Curated by Nadia Martinez

Miranda Arts Project Space

6 N Pearl St. Suite 404 E

Port Chester, NY 10573

Opening Reception: Saturday, May 20th, 2017

6:00 - 8:00 pm

Artists:

Teresa Waterman, Esther Rosa, Kathryn Cameron, Michelle Bratsafolis

Press Release

Indecipherable Messages, Curator Nadia Martinez

Teresa Waterman

"Linguistic Murmurs " is a study of language and art as possible words. Inspired by the political rhetoric during the 2016 presidential campaign, quasi words form a language of icons and indexes questioning truth and authenticity. The dense journalistic networks of inky unreadable symbols are fragments of communications torn from their original context. Muted, they are meant to disrupt flow and conversation. Antique doilies drift across the paper like floating stars filled with an ethereal meaning. Exposed by time, these echoing feminine voices communicate their presence with tranquility. Multiple meanings and transcriptions begin to form in the mind. By using unreadable symbols, understanding without knowledge is conflicted. With an absence of structure and meaning, words become a" Murmur."


Linguistic Murmurs, 2017, Paper, Litho crayon and vintage laces, 20 x 30 inches each
Teresa Waterman

Esther Rosa

As a Psychologist and as a person I believe one of the biggest issues we have to deal with in our daily life is to balance our wellbeing and mental health...... To keep our inner balance under adversity. How to find that natural force that is the resilience that helps most people to overcome their misfortunes. In the face of adversities, that tests our physical and emotional balance, which threatens the survival itself, we need mechanisms to resist. Emotional connections, mental faculties, self-esteem, positive thinking, the reasons for living and the inclination to locate the control center within oneself are the factors that allow us to recover from the blows and even come out strengthened. With the aim of being the best prepared possible when facing the difficulties that inevitably gives us life, we need to learn how to find happiness in our life, we need to learn how to keep a positive thinking, accepting the ebb and flow of life, embracing our imperfections as part of our singularity. These work were created in a pursuit of my balance, I needed to look back to my origin to find who I was in order to find who I want to become. Using organic materials as sand and paper allows me to dig into my roots.


From My Window, Oil and sand on canvas, 30 x 40 inches

Kathryn Cameron

Whatever exists at any point in time is inevitably subject to temporal change. Through a journey in the ephemeral nature of all things, I explore the subtle manipulation of the materials. The rich textures of our earth’s surface are translated by natural elements of paper, wood, and metal into organic forms. Sensations emerge through alteration and temporality, and the interaction between the materials facilitates a deep connection with our environment, indicating a small path in order to try to understand ourselves. My work relies on the paradox of revealing and concealing, hiding and uncovering, and in the dichotomy of awareness and uncertainty, I can manipulate and expose. My works are constructed in paper and metal, materials that are both ephemeral in nature. I work in paper for its suppleness, delicacy and strength and its willingness to be transformed, both in form and texture. The metal, stark in physical contrast, represents resilience, resolve and physical power. I create spaces of uncertainty, thought, balance and renewal -- places that invite contemplation of growth, decay, and the ebb and flow of light and life that makes our world so full of its natural, beautiful chaos.


Friction, 2017 (detail), Watercolor paper, rust, 8 x 8 inches each, set of three

Michelle Bratsafolis

Quiet reflection and contemplation can be restorative in turbulent times. This series of paintings on natural wood are a stripped down, organic reaction to the myriad of complicated issues that have come to dominate the public conversations of today. Non-pictorial gestures and marks in varying palettes allude to natural phenomena without defining them, inviting closer examination, interpretation, and response.


Oasis III, 2017 (detail), Oil on birch wood, 6 x 6 inches each