Kathryn Glowen & Bernadette Vielbig at Lorinda Knight Gallery, Spokane.
In the case of the new exhibition at Lorinda Knight, both pieces arrived simultaneously. It might seem like an unlikely pairing at first, though. Kathryn Glowen's past work at Lorinda featured ephemeral compositions of paper which also included bird's eggs. Bernadette Vielbig's past show assembled objects in wry commentary on such things as gender roles and the human condition with pieces like the A-style dress made of kitschy plastic flowers or the suit of wiggly eyes.
Both artists have a sense of humor and enjoy nudging the edges of the envelope. Both are object-makers and collectors. And both like to transform the mundane into the profane, dealing with color, connotation, context and texture.
What resulted is Glowen's "Wonder/Alottment Gardens" and Vielbig's "The Pecking Order" on display through June 28.
Dig deeper and see the connection to rural, even nostalgic America. Glowen's rosettes of vintage fabric are paired with plan-view illustrations of color, like a garden from above. They are framed like a beloved relic, deepening the sense of nostalgic layering.
Vielbig weaves a nest of ideas around poultry paraphenalia. With characteristic acerbic wit, Vielbig's "The Critics" features three, puffed up blue-tinged roosters (read into that what you may) seated on a hand-hewn log bench as they gaze at one of Glowen's pieces. "Lemmings" is a propped up post populated by a bevy of skinny birds, reminding of the flock that gathers outside gallery doors on opening night, facing this way or that as if unsure whether they like what they see...until the critics decide. Vielbig's humor in this show is masterfully sly, delightfully not whimsical at all. We are no longer sheep, but we are not off the hook; Vielbig's work makes us reexamine our place in the pecking order and schemes of life.
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