New York based artist Lucy Dodd creates stunning abstract paintings using non-traditional medias. Her 2016 exhibition "Open Plan" at the Whitney Museum combines painting and performance in an incredible way.
Unlike the tradition of paintings hung on gallery walls, Dodd's work is dispersed throughout the centre of the gallery floor, supported and standing strongly. They are underlined by their graphic black borders, a quality offering them a confident presence in the space. The unusual canvas shapes play with the viewer's sense of perspective, causing them to question their vantage point and visual relationship with each work. The performative quality of this exhibition is emphasized by it's exposed materiality. The creation which vulnerability akin to peeking behind stage during an experimental dress rehearsal. Punctuated by the iconic city skyline, the show is filled with an energy that turns viewers into participants. As described by the Whitney Museum, "By bringing her studio activities into the gallery and inviting a range of collaborators to conduct performances and live music, Dodd fosters what she calls "a space of ritual action and improvisation demanding a longer and broader engagement on part of the audience."
Lucy Dodd's paintings are full of movement and mystery. "Open Plan" is an exhibition that simultaneously expresses an intuitive and interactive nature and we would have loved to see it in person.
