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Exhibitions: Past



Accretion Systems


An Installation by Jackie Brown


January 26 – February 23, 2017

Accretion Systems Accretion Systems Accretion Systems Accretion Systems Accretion Systems Accretion Systems Accretion Systems Accretion Systems Accretion Systems Accretion Systems

We open 2017 with an installation by Jackie Brown. With the exhibition Accretion Systems, Brown has transformed the gallery into a kind of bio lab where she imagines and choreographs a tangible and immersive environment. It is at once welcoming and a little unsettling. Are we part of her experiment or merely an explorer in this strange world? Are we witnessing the results of unnatural mutations or is this part of a strange yet compelling landscape?

Simply defined, accretions are gradual gatherings or accumulations of matter and can be found in many environments. An online search for the definition of accretions systems points us immediately in the direction of astrophysics. The term describes the theory of how objects in the universe are formed. It also implies steady, ongoing growth such as that evidenced by the growth rings of trees which are formed during their annual cycles of renewal and expansion.

Since it can describe any number of natural or biological accumulations, the term doesn't distinguish between beneficial growth or damaging mutation. As such, there are many ways to think about the world Brown has created for us. She has stated, "While each work is imaginative, the ideas that are central to the work reference real phenomenon in a purposeful way, and I am increasingly interested in experiments that involve the human manipulation of living systems…Ultimately, the work is hopeful and aims to suggest limitless potential for growth, movement, and expansion."

Kathleen Hancock
Director




The Artist


Jackie Brown


I'm interested in the biological and chemical processes that are fluctuating all around us at every given moment, and I explore this territory through biomorphic sculptures and drawings. My primary focus is sculpture installation and I work to create immersive environments that invite viewers into imagined biological systems. It's often ambiguous whether the forms are benign or toxic, and an important undercurrent in the work is an interest in the human manipulation of living systems, particularly advances in bioengineering that are fraught with both exciting and frightening implications. While each work is imaginative, the ideas that are central to the work reference real phenomena and I hope to encourage viewers to consider the shifting nature of the world around them.




Biography


Education
MFA, Virginia Commonwealth University, School of the Arts, Richmond, VA
BA, Hamilton College, Clinton, NY

Selected Exhibitions
2014 The Vital Flux, Gallery 107, North Adams, MA
2014 Color/Form, The Arts Center Gallery, Saratoga Springs, NY
2013 Ignition Sequence, Backdoor Gallery, Fredericksburg, VA
2013 Active Pathways, Sykes Gallery, Millersville, PA
2012 Seemingly Recognizable, Flecker Gallery, SUNY Suffolk, Long Island, NY

Artist Residencies
2010 Museum of Arts and Design, Open Studio Program, New York, NY

Academic Positions
2014 – Present Assistant Professor of Art, Bowdoin College, Brunswick, ME
2011 – 2014 Visiting Assistant Professor of Art, Ursinus College, Collegeville, PA

jackiebrownart.com




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