Framework

Framework, a show hosted by the David Weinberg Gallery, featured the sculpture of Bob Emser and photography of David Weinberg. Overall, the two artists' work complemented each other well, because the general focus of both bodies of work is the breaking down and building up of structures into their component parts. While this was the focus, the most interesting aspect of all the work was the interaction between structure and light.
Bob Emser's work consisted of maquettes for larger public sculptures, and sculptural wall hangings. His materials include steel, wood, and glass and create an overall industrial feel that is furthered by his minimalist, clean lined construction. The work itself is a microcosm of architecture and design, and begins to address the question as to how these differ from fine art. As stated above, the element of light is what gives Emser's work life. The shadows created by the work are probably the most interesting aspect of the work. The level at which some of the sculptures were hung became very distracting. They quickly went from art to shelves when hung at eye level. While the work borrows from design and architecture, I don't think it wants to mimic it exactly, so next time just hang it a little higher to avoid misinterpretation.
David Weinberg's black and white photographs are abstract images of buildings. His works, which are titled Deconstruction and assigned a number, rely on making the familiar unfamiliar. He does so by photographing reflections of buildings, or zooming in on different parts of a structure to eliminate their use and focus on their form. Part of the fun of looking at his work, is trying to figure out exactly what is being photographed. In one of the secondary gallery rooms there is a photograph of an entire greenhouse that explains what the other photographs are of, and really ruins part of the experience. The strength of his work is really in not knowing, and having to appreciate form itself.
Framework was a successful show. The work complemented each other well, and worked towards a common goal. However, the minimal aesthetic combined with notions of construction and destruction, and industrial materials really make for a masculine feeling show.