Marc Wenet:
Points of Light
Holding Back the Shadows, old piano keys, casein, graphite, reclaimed wood, 7” x 7.25” x .5” ,2018
November 1st -- December 1st
Opening Reception: Saturday, November 2nd, 4 - 6 pm
Artist Talk: Saturday, November 16th, 4pm
i.e. is pleased to present a solo exhibit by Marc Wenet.
Marc Wenet composes small wall pieces from remnants he has gathered in his life wanderings. Reclaimed wood, old cardboard, and cast off hardware are just some of his materials. They are collected and kept as perhaps mementos or souvenirs, carrying eventually a meaning beyond their first purpose. In living with these scraps over time, often decades, Wenet finds a new context by fitting them together into minimalist constructions, a visual haiku, if you will; spare, balanced, layered, descriptive.
Coming out of Chicago University in 1978 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, Marc Wenet was an admirer of Joseph Cornell. Cornell, considered the pioneer of assemblage, helped to legitimize found object sculpture for the art world beginning back in the 30's. He opened the door for artists such as Wenet to move forward with an eye for that which already exists. To rearrange what is in our daily existence in order to elevate or reveal the intrinsic beauty by mere juxtaposition - or to just make a statement. Marc Wenet builds, with a refined and quiet dovetailing of his salvaged pieces, an art of inordinate simplicity. His statement, his poetry.
Hive, steel wire, cardboard, reclaimed painted wood, 8” x 5.5” x .75”, 2019
Artist Statement
I listen to the whispering of time as it smooths out the thin layers of memory exposing glimpses of the past. Sorting and searching through materials I’m looking for light still present on the faded surfaces. The images are small though I can sense an expanded narrative emerging from every wrinkle of the page. I find meaning recognizing the randomness of contiguous forms providing me with a deeper vision of the invisible. Water, landscape and light act as inspirations for exploring the notion of stillness, holding together what might otherwise be dispersed by the wind.
Upcoming:
