Spatial Relations
October 4, 2019 - October 26, 2019
Madeline Stratton
Jacob Zimmerman
Individually, we move through and observe the world in our own way, forming relationships and associations with corridors, entryways and open roads. Artists have the unique privilege of visually expressing their movements through the landscapes they navigate and in AUTOMAT’s latest exhibition, Spatial Relations, Madeline Stratton and Jacob Zimmerman present us their interpretations of the interior and exterior spaces they occupy. Both artists use their work as a lens, magnifying nuances that are often overlooked and manipulating materials to augment the viewers relationship to the work itself and the space it occupies. Stratton’s sharp architectural forms constructed of wood are softened through her use of vibrantly colored fabrics, subtly suggesting references to a female perspective of domestic spaces. In contrast Zimmerman’s photographs and sculptures constructed from raw materials like cardboard, mesh, and foil use his travels on American roadways as source material to investigate the American identity. Craftsmanship and sensitivity to materials link these artists’ work but their individual perspectives are present as you traverse the exhibition. We invite you to slow down and take a moment to meditate on Stratton and Zimmerman’s Spatial Relations while also reflecting on your own.
Artist and educator Madeline Stratton lives and works in Washington, DC. She holds an MFA from Mount Royal School of Art at Maryland Institute College of Art, a MA in History of Art and the Art Market from Christie’s Education in New York, NY and a BA in Studio Art and Art History from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN. Her mixed media work serves as a record of spaces of personal comfort and ritual, but her simplified sculptures provide space for the viewer to project their own memories, allowing them to function as vessels for self-reflection.
Jacob Zimmerman received his MFA from the University of Delaware and BFA from Towson University, both concentrating in sculpture. His work employs raw materials like cardboard, plaster and aluminum while also considering his own labor as a key component to the work. Zimmerman speaks of nostalgia, pulling from his travels on roadways throughout the United States and always giving a nod to one of his cherished pastimes, baseball. He recently completed the Wingate ITE International Residency at the Center for Wood in Art in Philadelphia, PA, and currently lives in and teaches at Graceland University in Lamoni, Iowa.