American artist Seana Reilly creates intricate and detail-filled drawings drenched with tension and mystery.
The subject matter of these drawings is elusive, and shape shifting with each glance. At first, they appear as a microscopic slide of bacteria or the cross section of plant or animal fibers. Then, they suddenly shift, transforming into a photograph of the surface of a planet, perhaps the texture of the side of the moon. Each piece brings us into its artificial world, inviting us so close they fill our vision and appear 100" high. In reality, they are minute 1" squares, hung in a grid on the wall next to an enticing magnifying glass. When we consider their scale against our own, we feel either massive, peering down at a specimen, or miniscule, gazing at a planet's beauty. The title of the series, "Artifact" adds to their appeal. These drawings are remains from a microscopic environment of the artist's creation, they are a reflection of the natural world created by her hand.
With this series, Seana Reilly pushes the possibilities of the liquid graphite she employs and relinquishes control. The final result is a body of work that is engrossingly ambiguous, that we could examine endlessly.
