Pae White, Smoke Tapestry 2, 2007, woven fabric, 118 x 81'.
Pae White's solo show 'Smoke Knows' is an exhibition of 'smoke tapestries' and “smoke drawings” both of which employ handmade and digital art practices. As the subject of the show, images of smoke adorn the gallery walls and appear as lucid, meditative and mesmerizing images. White’s handling of the subject on a tapestry and a drawing suggests that there is a greater versatility in the subject than we might have imagined. The tapestries combine the old practice of weaving with digital photography. White photographs smoke then works with a loom in Belgium where she decides on the color scheme and size of each tapestry. The drawings are actually carvings of paper produced through the removal of a thin later of paint in Color-Acid paper, and then generated with a laser. On many of the drawings fine black lines are present, a vestige of the mechanical process employed. Finally there are two installations of 'gutter leaves,' composites of a canvas, aluminum, and paint that have been shaped and molded to naturalistically mirror leaves. Upon entering the gallery space, we confront a pile of leaves strewn across the floor and gathered in a fireplace. The fireplace is a feature of the building that was sectioned off when the gallery moved in. Now it has been uncovered for the show, so is both part of the installation and revealing of what the space once was.
Published courtesy of ArtScene
