Michelle Grabner at Rocket

Phew not a landscape in sight: " My work consists of indentifying, indexing and transposing patterns. I also build elemental compositions that are foundational to the language of abstraction. I am concerned with enacting rudimental organisation, articulating notations and embracing repetition." Michelle Grabner.
 

I was struck by the connection of Michelle Grabner's work with Soulage's latest ( which are soon to be be seen at Bernard Jacobson)
and with my previous post about bringing sensibilities and process to basic forms such as the circle. The exhibition looks imposing as does the focus of such intricate mark making on this scale. In my experience the tondo is hard to make work and Michelle with overall blackness, pattern and target has unified the image and gives the surface a sense of reptilian skin. Considering the sombre similarities in Soulage's work and Grabner's, I was reminded of how colour and colour celebration is often perceived as frivolous. Are these works signs of the times and will black/grey become kitsch?




 Michelle Grabner's exhibition Flapjack is on at the excellent Rocket Gallery and runs until 19/6/10