Articles + Reviews - ERIC ZIMMERMAN
Review: Eric Zimmerman
Moore, Claire. "Eric Zimmerman at Art Palace " Cantanker. (September 2006)
Simplon Pass engages the viewer in a web of perspective, politics, and fiction as Eric Zimmerman constructs a series of complex urban landscapes that evoke both despair and transcendence. As you enter the gallery two large works (36” x 24”) titled Turner’s Palace capture your attention as muted oranges and a cerulean haze of ink confront crisp, yet delicately rendered, architectural forms on a diffused plastic ground. The cumulous puffs of color hover above intricate transparent structures that vie for space as they overlap, merge, and inverse creating a highly complex articulation of space and depth. Like J.M.W. Turner’s seascapes, these pieces capture the drama and awe of larger than life forces. In Turner’s case the awe inspiring forces of nature are often explicitly referenced in images capturing the sea, wind, or volcanoes while Zimmerman’s work utilizes subtle references that conjure images of both natural and synthetic forces (from floods to bombs and bioterrorism) although they are never explicitly defined.
On the adjacent wall nine small works (9”x10”) on plastic titled Floe are hung in an organic grouping that encourages comparison among the pieces without implying a linear sequence. Through this series the artist explores chaos and stability as a fluid mass of brown and blue-green ink challenges and overtakes the refined architectural armature of skyscrapers and stout industrial buildings carefully articulated in graphite. The fluidity of the organic mass and color choice suggests water or perhaps a more ominous compound such as discarded chemicals, an oil spill, or some other type of bio-hazard. Through these beautiful yet disturbing works, the artist addresses highly charged current events in a manner that encourages contemplation rather than imposing judgment—a strategy that closely parallels the stance Lucinda Devlin took in her highly acclaimed Omega Series (presented at the 2001 Venice Biennale) as she explored the topic of the death penalty through a series of seductive images of execution chambers taken throughout the United States. Floe not only recalls recent events such as the Hurricane Katrina’s destruction of Louisiana but also the on-going war in Iraq and the devastation of the twin towers five years ago.
The series Dividing/Folding/Island A-D, installed on the opposite wall was less successful. Although it contains many common elements the colored fields are muddied and overworked thereby lessening the tension between fluidity and stability.
The two largest pieces in the show titled Greenhoods Growth House successfully built on the vocabulary introduced throughout the exhibition and added spatial and conceptual depth to the organic graphite forms introduced in Turner’s Palace. In these two pieces, the graphite fields were deftly translated into islands, peninsulas and continents with allusions to elevation conveyed in terms of concentric mark-making, as found on topographic maps, and subtle gradations in value. The relative scale of the shapes and aerial perspective imply a sense of distance and a global scale vastly different from Zimmerman’s other works. The imagery recalls the satellite photos that filled televisions and news papers during and after the tsunami that overtook Sri Lanka in 2004.
In the back room of the gallery, the work conveyed a more optimistic tone. In the series Responsive City the artist worked to establish a harmonious relationship between two elements (the buildings and fluid mass of color) by developing a symmetrical composition implying unity and stability; however, the central placement of the weighty mass and the circle of buildings around it made for a predictable and less intriguing visual experience.
The four small works Ruins/Future, inconspicuously hung near the back door, express a sense of hope as the colors become brighter and the unfinished structural lines of the buildings extend upward pointing to ongoing renewal and growth. Zimmerman’s skill in communicating a range of topics and emotions, through subtle shifts in what first appears to be a very limited vocabulary, is definitely worth the trip.