Of Evocation and Resemblance (2019)

Curatorial Statement
Written by Juan Puntes (Founder and Artistic Director of WhiteBox-Harlem)

Inspiration, hope, renewal and adherence to a common culture and spirituality bond Ola Rondiak and Monique Rollins, two diametrically opposites in their artistic practice this exhibition chores itself with book-matching, unearthing the dynamics contained in their Ukrainian Soul, each providing their own particular lens seducing the viewer.

As antecedents, the gamut runs along the lines of emblematic creators close to their niche, from Malevich’s head-on complex in their simplicity geometrical peasant series, to Asger Jorn’s COBRA principles of process over product, a denuded kind of ‘action painting’ incorporating at will Tachism’s figure-ground abstraction, popular on both ends of the ocean, where our educated artists acquired their training and influences, circumstantially or by osmosis. Each artist will have a single black hued room/space in the gallery to portray their recent, poignant wares and give free visual reign to their present day motivations. A central, unifying gallery space will act as common ground where the curator will orchestrate both artists’ works into a deliberate, if difficult, cohesive expression, essential—is the hope—for the visitor to unload the loaded visual puzzle and decipher the message contained in this sublime, testing exhibition unfolding in the evolving land of the artists’ love, dreams and desires, a new Ukraine.

In this challenging curatorial quest I will not repeat performance, concentrating instead in making a clearly readable, less-is-more personalized approach to make ’OF EVOCATION AND RESEMBLANCE’ a coherent, dynamic show with two heart beats. I will pursue items of identity though acts of evocation and eponymous resemblance—away from nostalgia, and sentimentality—concentrating solely upon the visually patent, essential characteristics contained in our highly evocative artworks where ‘resemblance’ (a degree, kind, or point of likeness) pertains more to the realm of the unknown, the artist’s most recent digs providing the viewer with an ultimate interrogation, steering clear of artworks that remind/resemble the obvious.

The quest and the dare remains to curate artworks activated by elements not of pleasure or shock, but visually impacted by principles of surprise and healing power. The final, excited revelation of the artists in this project will be the presentation of a unique dual mano-a-mano action during the opening reception. Mrs Rollins will perform a massive collage in-situ, while Mrs Rondiak will elaborate a huge sculptural Motanka, both works remaining as the central, fixed points of this exhibition.

Click here to watch a full panel discussion from this exhibition.

Installation Photos