Taking Shape : Opening Reception

Charlotte Russell Contemporary 22 July 2022 
Charlotte Russell Contemporary 5:30 to 7:30 PM

Charlotte Russell Contemporary is pleased to announce Taking Shape, a group exhibition of works by Mar Hester, Baxter Miller, Maggie Perrin Key and Sydney Zester. The featured artwork in Taking Shape focuses on the use of color and shape to create physical interpretations of the environments around us. The artists take the spaces they are familiar with and reimagine them through new perspectives. This is the first exhibition curated by Charlotte Russell Contemporary Gallery Associate, Lydia Edmonds. Taking Shape will be on view at Charlotte Russell Contemporary, July 22 - September 3, 2022, with an opening reception on July 22, 2022 from 5:30 - 7:30 PM. 

 

Durham-based artist Mar Hester’s photo sculptures challenge the traditional means of viewing photography while commenting on our ever-shifting environment. Her sculptures utilize digitally altered photographs, geometric shapes and repeating patterns to explore the complex world of human perception with a strong basis in nature. 

 

Baxter Miller is an artist and creative director based in her hometown of New Bern, North Carolina, where she returned in 2021. Her photographic work is deeply rooted in place and is known for its quiet but graphic compositions that leans heavily on her unabashed relationship to color. 

 

Maggie Perrin-Key (Roanoke, VA) uses color palettes connected to specific memories and familiar shapes to capture and abstract what memories look like. Perrin-Key activates the space with movement while maintaining flat blocks of color. She takes memories that exist in the ether and brings them to life. 

 

Sydney Zester (Wilmington, NC) draws inspiration from her experience as an endurance athlete to create her unique textile works. Her intention is to replicate the senses of calmness and energy that she feels while being active with a nod to the coastal environment they are felt within. She expresses this balance of emotion through the use of contrasting muted and vibrant colors in playful and abstracted shapes. Zester began working with textiles over 15 years ago while apprenticing with her seamstress aunt.