Less is and More
Joyce Brienza and Matthew De Genaro
October 4 November 1, 2013
Opening Reception Friday, October 4, 7 9 pm
Gallery Talk Saturday, October 5, 2:00 pm
There are as many approaches to art making as there are artists. There are those who are inspired by a wealth of imagery, pattern, color, symbols, cultural and historical reference, and draw on all these elements to create drawings, paintings, collages or objects. Others are moved to simplify and refine their works, drawing on the Modernist interest in material and process. The one samples from any number of sources and seeks a means of unifying them to create a satisfying whole and convey meaning. The other works and reworks an idea, driven sometimes by the material at hand, sometimes by a working process, applying both to a generalized form that lends itself to repeated exploration and experimentation and abstraction. For this show, we have selected two very different artists who use their own individual approaches to create works that are unmistakably their own.
Joyce Brienza is the "more" of this Less/More equation. She uses a collage technique to sample a rich variety of images, patterns and other elements that carry personal associations that resonate for her, creating her "peculiar brand of hip hop." The critical element for her is pattern, which serves multiple purposes. In the artist's words, pattern "...is a reference to traditional "women's" handiwork and questions the duality of high and low art. It provides a grid formation that connects the floating elements (information) together. And finally, it works to disrupt the continuity of the image, placing roadblocks in the way of logic and control."
Matthew De Genaro produces work that is deceptively simple. He creates endless variations on the human figure, abstracting the essential form. He says, "...sometimes the nature of the material defines the figure, at other times it's the process of working the material that defines it, and sometimes, the figure dictates the use of material and process." He has explored his figures in every scale and in every material imaginable, including cast bronze, cast resin, carved wood, stone, fabricated wood and metal, inflated fabric, stacked rubber inner tubes, cardboard, even manipulated living grasses.
Joyce Brienza earned her MFA at
Matthew De Genaro earned his MFA at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. His work has been exhibited in galleries and museums since 1980.
The works of these two artists complement each other, even as their methods and finished artworks are so divergent. They are two long-time
Please join us in welcoming these two artists at an opening reception on Friday, October 4th at 7:00 pm. We will host a gallery talk with the artists on Saturday, October 5th at 2:00 pm. The opening reception and gallery talk are free and open to the public. Visitors will enjoy an opportunity to meet the artists and gain some insight into their works.
This exhibit is supported by the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs,
the National Endowment for the Arts and the Kresge Foundation.
PCCA exhibitions are sponsored by
Dokka Fasteners, the
Rochester Hills Spine Care, Whims Insurance Agency and WiT.
The mission of