Anne Gilman is a Brooklyn-based artist who combines text and images in drawings, books and prints in a compelling mix aimed at exploring complex emotional subject matter. Her Featured Artist Project installation that is currently here at the Center, The Jolly Balance includes several scrolls of ledger paper running the height of the wall. She says:
This installation is based on a series of drawings I made on a handwritten physics journal from 1918. In that series, I was interested in finding emotional content in the scientific experiments.
The Jolly Balance was a phrase I found in the original physics journal and refers to an instrument that measures specific gravity. I use it to refer to our attempt to balance all the parts of our lives on a day-to-day basis – that it is the “Jolly” Balance, is my way of seeing humor in all we try to juggle. As I worked on this project, my mother began losing much of her short-term memory and her health issues became a large part of my daily concerns. The content and format of my project evolved to reflect these changing circumstances.
Included alongside the scrolls are a series of individual prints and a print portfolio she made to accompany the work, an artist book, and some of the original drawings on pages from the 1918 journal. It's a really visually engaging body of work, and really demonstrates thinking through via visual materials.
Come see her speak about the installation, and her work process in general, on Wednesday, May 9th at 6:30 pm. Her installation is up until June 30th here at the Center. You can also see more of her work on her website: http://annegilman.com.
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