Carter Hodgkin: Vortex

Carter Hodgkin: Vortex, Recent Drawings & Animations on view January 10 to February 23, 2013, is the artist’s second solo exhibition at Denise Bibro Fine Art, Chelsea, NYC. In her new series, Hodgkin mines the concept of a vortex and the sense of being drawn into and out of control. Fusing physics, digital technology, and painting, Hodgkin’s compositions use simulated atomic particle collisions to mimic the vortex’s fluid dynamics. Amid an infinite void, thousands of vibrantly-hued dots explode and implode in a state of dynamic flux.

Manipulating computer code as a drawing process, Hodgkin generates animations of particle collisions which are used to create works on paper as well as short animations. For her works on paper, a still image is captured and used as a template for hand-painting thousands of overlapping tiny dots until an iconic form emerges.

Hodgkin’s animations investigate the motion patterns of a vortex while inspired by portrayals of ephemeral growth in Chinese Ink Plum paintings. Instead of ink and paper, she uses digital technology and sub-atomic particle collisions to create animated forms that grow, dissipate and dissolve. Thousands of highly saturated dots accrete, coalesce, burst, and disintegrate in a constant state of evanescence.

In the artist’s words, the work “reflects a tension between technology and handcraft, as well as the rigor of scientific process and the emotional possibilities of abstraction.”
Hodgkin has mounted solo shows at venues including Cheryl Pelavin Fine Art, Berland/Hall Gallery, Artists Space, Nature Morte Gallery, and White Columns, all in New York City; as well as Nature Morte in New Delhi, India; and the ZKM/Center for Art & Media, Karlsruhe, Germany. Selected group exhibitions include the New Museum, and the Drawing Center, both in New York City; Weatherspoon Art Museum, Greensboro, NC; Adamson Gallery, Washington, D.C.; and Musée Mediathèque, Uzes, France. Her work has been reviewed in Art in America, Flash Art International, and The Los Angeles Times, among others. Selected collections include the U.S. Library of Congress, Goldman Sachs, and Pfizer Corporation. Hodgkin recently completed a large-scale public art commission for City University of New York, Queens College. She lives and works in New York City, and is represented exclusively by Denise Bibro Fine Art.
Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 11am to 6pm. For more information, or to request high resolution images, call (212) 647-7030, email [email protected], or visit www.denisebibrofineart.com.