Davina Semo
SHE WAS NO MORE DISTURBED BY OTHER PEOPLE AS SUCH, THAN THE MARBLE STATUE IS BY THE FLIES THAT CRAWL ON IT, 2011
steel scaffold braces, steel chain
144 x 31.5 x 42.5 in
Martos Gallery is pleased to present a solo exhibition of new works by Davina Semo.
WE BEGIN WITH THE NOISE presents works that repurpose the ubiquitous industrial landscape of chains, concrete and glass. The works are made by etching, distressing, shattering and bending raw materials. Much like heaps of scrap metal and collaged debris found on sidewalks and alleys, these works retain the forms of their own transformations.
The chain is used without any alteration, leaving a straightforward balance of line, gravity, color and weight. The diagonal grid, appropriated from a fence, serves as a structural element and a visual repetition of diamonds. The Xs, blatant marks of intersection, outline a series of empty shapes, spaces and voids. Apart from their formal qualities these materials connote power and containment.
The coexistence of these works with the post-industrial environment points to the disorienting and relentless abstraction of our lived experience.
Davina Semo (b. 1981 in Washington, DC.), lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. Recent group exhibitions include We Regret to Inform You There Is No Place or Space For Abstract Painting, Martos Gallery, The 2011 Bridgehampton Biennial, organized by Bob Nickas, Martos Gallery, and Borderline, Pablo's Birthday.
WE BEGIN WITH THE NOISE presents works that repurpose the ubiquitous industrial landscape of chains, concrete and glass. The works are made by etching, distressing, shattering and bending raw materials. Much like heaps of scrap metal and collaged debris found on sidewalks and alleys, these works retain the forms of their own transformations.
The chain is used without any alteration, leaving a straightforward balance of line, gravity, color and weight. The diagonal grid, appropriated from a fence, serves as a structural element and a visual repetition of diamonds. The Xs, blatant marks of intersection, outline a series of empty shapes, spaces and voids. Apart from their formal qualities these materials connote power and containment.
The coexistence of these works with the post-industrial environment points to the disorienting and relentless abstraction of our lived experience.
Davina Semo (b. 1981 in Washington, DC.), lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. Recent group exhibitions include We Regret to Inform You There Is No Place or Space For Abstract Painting, Martos Gallery, The 2011 Bridgehampton Biennial, organized by Bob Nickas, Martos Gallery, and Borderline, Pablo's Birthday.
