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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT
Lorraine Molina, Director
213.621.4055
CHRIS NATROP "And Further the Dew Drop Falls"
Through August 31, 2008
MOCA Jacksonville
333 North Laura Street Jacksonville, FL, 32202
Phone: (904) 366-6911
Fax: (904) 366-6901
www.mocajacksonville.com
CHRIS NATROP
And Further the Dew Drop Falls
In And Further the Dew Drop Falls, Los Angeles-based artist Chris Natrop uses cut paper to transform MOCA's galleries into a mesmerizing environment of free-form patterns that evoke nature and landscape. The show's title, like the artist's inventive process, reflects his interest in the concept of something emerging out of nothing. The artist uses the cycle and development of dew as an underlying metaphor for this new body of work. "Water evaporates into the air and then condenses as dewdrops, only to be evaporated again," Natrop states. In some areas of the exhibition light projections of water drops slowly descend the museum walls and are layered atop the artist's organic cut-outs.
Natrop works on enormous sheets of paper that are stretched out on self-healing mats. Wielding a standard utility knife, he spontaneously cuts away at the paper to create his organic forms. His compositions are influenced by his fascination with the intricacies of everyday forms encountered in his direct surrounding. Natrop's process reveals the negative space by removing the "emptiness" in between forms. Without any preconceived pattern or preliminary sketch, he allows the work to shape itself with each cut. As a by-product, energetic rips, tears and over-cuts mark the surfaces. Many of the drawings are suspended from the ceiling with wires and strings, and take on a sculptural presence, ultimately challenging the boundaries between two and three-dimensional art. The presentations of the works create dramatic cast shadows that refract and reflect through projected light. Above all, Natrop's installations are a fictionalized perception of place that allows the viewer to navigate through these ethereal landscapes and environments. And Further the Dew Drop Falls was designed and created specifically for MOCA Jacksonville and is Natrop's first large-scale museum exhibition.