The Color and the Shape

"Hot dog," was the first guess, and it was wrong. "Cucumber" is the shape of the object, according to artist Gina T. Alvarez. She cut 200 of these wooden shapes and laid them out in patterns to create a series of prints, each 18 inches by 60 inches, which are then assembled in sets of six. The finished pieces are the printer's language writ large, as the mechanical repetition of color and pattern transforms the meaning of the original wooden shape. In dun colors, the cucumbers resemble a field of cattails along the water's edge. Printed in transparent blues and greens, a languidly stretched pyramid of them becomes a school of fish fading in the depths. And yes, three of them overlapping in white and red becomes a hot dog suspended in space. Alvarez's work is on display tonight only from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Amanda Verbeck's Pele Prints (9400 Watson Road, Crestwood; 314-750-7799 or www.peleprints.com). Admission is free.
Wed., April 1, 2009