Formless

"Formless" 9/11/25 - 10/5/25

Opening Reception Sat 9/13/25

In 1929, philosopher, Georges Bataille's concept of "Formless" challenged traditional notions of form and order in art. In the 1990s, art historians Rosalind Krauss and Yves-Alain Bois's book "Formless: A User's Guide" expanded on this idea, arguing that artists throughout the 20th century had unknowingly engaged with formlessness as a creative strategy.

The word "formless" describes something lacking a definite shape or structure. We expand on the idea of "Formless" to include works that project a sense of poetic lightness, fragility, and etherealness in weight, volume, color, or mass, or that may be atmospheric and seem to defy gravity. Some of the works may evoke within the viewer a meditative sense of calm; in others, a sense of mystery. Works accepted may or may not be abstract, objective or nonobjective, narrative, or imbued with formal qualities of line and shape.

Think along the lines of Cy Twombly's active calligraphic drawing; Mark Rothko's color field paintings; Terry Winters nature and natural phenomena-inspired imagery; JMW Turner and Caspar David Friedrich's atmospheric luminosity; Joan Mitchell's gestural, exuberant, colorful marks.

In keeping with our love of music, this show is dedicated to Bob Dylan, whose music, known for its poetic blend of folk and rock and socially conscious lyrics, evolved from acoustic ballads to electric anthems, and his style morphed, pushed boundaries, and set trends that influenced generations of musicians with his unique voice and literary approach to popular music. Dylan's song, Shelter From the Storm, relates to our "Formless" theme, and we especially like it.