Loosely organized around the theme of Freefall, this exhibition calls to mind Galileo and the laws of gravity that dictate the rate at which mass accelerates during the freefall of an object or body through space. It follows the concept that astronauts are not weightless in space, but rather experiencing a constant state of freefall. Love is often equated with the idea of freefall. The enormous interest in skydiving in the United States and throughout the world indicates an increasing affinity with extreme physical sensations and experiences. Finally, one recalls the lyrics to an old Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers song where the dislocation and reevaluation of self in a young woman’s life is likened to freefalling.

In the constructions of five varied artists: Braden Clary, Franklin Evans, Mark Parsons, Lon Mitchell Teller and Judy Thomas, sculpture, installations, video, paintings, and photography, are posited as points along a greater journey. Their personal terrain, be it autobiographical, or far-reaching in its associations to DNA molecules and the architecture of Gothic cathedrals, forms the context for this visual exploration into our constant state of motion and endless descent into freefall. Perhaps it is in the very unstable, uncertain and unpredictable, but frequently regenerative situations where improvisation prevails, and fears are overcome, that the eternal truths of art reside? Maybe all of us are astronauts after all.

Leslie Lund
NYC, 2004