Bender Gallery opens new exhibition, “Through the Future, Brightly”

Bender Gallery (12 S. Lexington Ave., Asheville) announces new exhibition, “Through the Future, Brightly,” a collection of works by Korean-born glass sculptor Eunsuh Choi and New England artist Adam Waimon. The show runs through Dec. 31 with an opening reception on Friday, Oct. 4 from 5-8 p.m.

From a press release:

The exhibition examines how limitations must be surmounted on the path to artistic expression and celebrates the artists’ future aspirations and accomplishments.

Choi’s work is influenced by her experience as a young woman emigrating to the United States and the obstacles she encountered along the way. She states, “I am interested in portraying the human aspiration in life with organic forms from the new perspective I had about myself in a foreign country”. The flameworked sculptures juxtapose grid-like structures consisting of clear thin rods of borosilicate glass which enclose imagery of ladders and puffy clouds. Choi incorporates these familiar objects as formal motifs in her work. The rigid structures represent the barriers that we face all around us, while images of clouds represent our aspirations and goals in life. In the words of the artist, ladders are man-made tools used to assist or aid an individual, to physically raise them to a higher level that one would be incapable of achieving on their own.

Convergence of Barrier IV is a large geometric sculpture consisting of precise, angular grid lines meeting at a single apex forming a triangular structure. Inside, two ladders stretch up and into the clouds. The Limited Barrier I is more fluid and organic. The square shaped structure consists of an outward rectangular grid. Looking inward, the grid becomes less rigid and more chaotic. A ladder inside is twisted and broken, falling to the ground.

Just thirty years old, New England artist Adam Waimon’s career is taking off at lightning speed. His blown and intricately carved glass forms exhibit a technical mastery that belies his years. The Carved series consists of sculptural groupings inspired by such diverse themes as botany, microbiology and Art Deco. The minimalist groupings are saturated in rich monochromatic color capitalizing on the negative space created by multiple pieces. Whimsical and bright magenta, Berry Blossoms is a pair of deeply carved fruit-like objects toppling toward each other.

The Channel series, is an “abstraction of transition and experience of life. The clear fluid forms mark the subtle but constant continuation of time,” says Waimon. The use of texture pays homage to our unspoken moments and feelings while the incorporation of lenses provides the viewer with a voyeuristic view into the interior. For instance, Beacon is an oval piece with a hole that passes through its center. This passage is girdled with intricate carvings and a series of lenses.

Eunsuh Choi grew up in Seoul, South Korea where she earned a Master of Art degree in glass from Kookmin University. After moving to the United States, she earned a second Master of Fine Arts degree in glass from Rochester Institute of Technology. Her work is in permanent collections at Cafesjian Center for the Arts, Armenia, The Corning Museum of Glass and Korea Craft Museum. Choi has been featured in numerous publications including Nues Glass, The Flow, Sculpture, Art Buzz, New Glass Review, American Craft, Niche Magazine, and Luxury (Korea). She currently resides in Rochester, NY.

Originally from Connecticut, Waimon lives in Providence, RI. He earned his BFA in glass from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2006. His work has been featured in New England Home, Fine Art Connoisseur and Niche Magazine.