Special Exhibit | Structural Presence

Columbia College intern Renée Brochu curated the Suite B exhibit, Structural Presence, as the culminating project of her time at Sager Braudis Gallery.  Works by artists Daniel Rodríguez Collazo, Josh George, Kyle Hendrix, Felicia Leach, and Joseph Murphy present a survey of architectural subject matter -both monumental and familiar- in drawing, painting, and ceramics. Through the use of varied media and techniques, these artists imply a sense of permanence and enduring grandeur in our built surroundings.   

Architecture demonstrates, on a sizable scale, the complexity of human ambition and intellect. Inevitably we are situated within these spaces, which convey style and character through line, mass, form, and the use of light. Moving around and through an architectural space, we are physically gathered and divided by its structure and design based on the architect’s intent. Swelling domes and soaring arches lend an atmosphere of unity, stability, and proportion that passively relates an impression of movement through time and space.

Structural Presence emphasizes the artists’ interpretation beyond the practical uses of architecture and reveals the social, cultural, and cerebral functions of our built environments. These bodies of work comprise an eclectic mix of modern, neoclassical, and gothic spaces. However, when juxtaposed, the works seem to go hand in hand, creating a visual conversation on our shared past. These artists indicate though layering of color and texture the value and experience of architecture, each sharing an individual perspective on their subject’s presence.