Almost

Almost, a tightly-curated show by Lance Goldsmith, joins seemingly disparate artists into a beautifully cohesive exhibition. Together, the works address concepts of suspension, balance, and the fragility of nature and process. The viewer is privy to all of these elements and are very much included as characters in relation to the pieces and the exhibition itself.



Josh Tonsfeldt's delicate pieces concentrate upon the fascinating beauty of natural forms. Taking spider webs from his family's abandoned horse barn, Tonsfeldt gently colors them red, blue and silver and places them on stark white sheets. Straw, dirt, remnants of a cigarette and bugs, and other small debris intermingle with the fragile netting. Instead of competing with each other, all of the individual elements meld into one, into a snapshot of decay and death. This is turned on its head as viewers lean in to examine the piece or traverse the gallery. Indeed, the piece adopts a life of its own as it shifts and contracts in response to movement - or even the merest breath.



Two Richard Tuttle Fiction Fish (1992) pieces were also included, complete with cardboard elements (including a toilet roll) and a pencil drawing of a line (or fish line) rising from the floor, up along the wall, and only stopping inches onto the ceiling. His cheeky works immediately make one question their relationship to the works, both physically and philosophically.




Jim Lee's charming works turn everything inside out, and outside in. His clever wall sculptures, one recalling Serra's Prop works, proudly show how each piece is constructed, from intentionally allowing glue to seep out, to using clear plexiglass to reveal the back of the work. Lee showcases not only fragility and impermanence, but allows us access to the process and form of its very existence.