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Patterns of Obsession shows what all three artists have in common besides living in Baltimore–an attention to intricate detail. This exhibit showcases Bathgate’s latest creations, which tower above his paper-weight sized works of the past. As a self-taught mechanist and math genius, all of his sculptures are striking not only for their gleam of gold and silver, but also for their complex yet perfectly symmetrical shapes. His designs are truly mind-blowing.
Reifler Amato’s drawings are made with architectural paper, oil bar graphite, gold paint pen, cut paper and gold leaf. Each layer of paper reveals a new dimension–like a new maze in a sea of faint lines. While Bathgate’s sculptures are rock solid, Reifler Amato’s curved grids seem so delicate, yet, every piece is so perfectly placed.
Likewise, the true beauty of Matthew Kern’s grid-collages emerge when you closely examine each square as its own little world. The texts embedded in his images are as integral as the pictures themselves. The messages range from outcries of desperation, to heartfelt declarations, and even science formulas and venn-diagrams. While each grid could stand on its own, they all have a distinct mood, and represent Kern’s dreams, memories and emotions. To bring these mini-glimpses of his life together, he paints and sketches outstretched hands, billowing kites, trees or arrows across multiple squares.
The juxtaposition of Kern with Bathgate is interesting. Bathgate’s work is in a stage of progression, and will grow in size and complexity as he perfects his craft. Kern, however, can only continue to create new art for as long as he can salvage what is left of Polaroid film. After Reifler-Amato’s works are displayed, she often takes them apart and salvages what she can to transform her old work into creative, new pieces. Kern’s work is a glimpse into a past art form, Bathgate pioneers the future, while Reifler Amato fuses the past and present, but all the artists convey a specific obsession and recognizable pattern.
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