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November 7 - December 21, 2024
There's Always Glimmer
Reception: "First Thursday," November 7, 6-8pm
Artist talk: Saturday, November 9 at noon
 
APOLOGY, 2016
Cast and patinated bronze
2.5 x 6.75 x 3.75 inches
Edition of 10
$5,000
GLIMMER, 2024
Mirrored mosaic tiles on acrylic and fiberglass modified plaster
19.5 x 12 x 12 inches
$8,500
HOW CARELESS OF ME, 2024
Glass beads on found fabric
64.5 x 27.5 inches
$5,800
I BEG YOUR FORGIVENESS, 2024
Glass beads on found crib sheet
52.5 x 36.5 inches
$6,000
I'M SO SORRY, 2024
Glass beads on linen
14 x 48 inches
SOLD
MY BAD, 2024
Glass beads on found yoga mat towel
67.5 x 24 inches
$5,600
PLEASE FORGIVE ME, 2023
Beads and fabric
91 x 38 inches
$9,000
There's Always Glimmer
Mark Calderon
Shortly after making a small bronze sculpture of an infant in child's pose that I titled Apology (in the center of the gallery), I heard myself declaring out loud, "Every piece should be an apology." I was initially prompted by the disappointment and sadness I feel because of short-sighted environmental destruction on a global scale. While it is easy to name big corporations that greedily harvest our resources, we all participate in this consumption no matter how virtuously we try to live. But I don't see these works as exclusively about a compromised future or even as "my" apologies. There are things in all of our pasts—recent and long ago—that we can apologize for.
I don't typically use words as part of my art and I have never made textile works. But I wanted to express the idea of apology literally, and it was important to me that the process be effortful and sincere. I initially chose bead embroidery for its shimmering appearance, which expresses the message radiantly, and for its long history and use as currency for trade. Further into the process I learned that in North America, trade beads were exchanged not only for goods and services but also for human beings. This significantly expands the list of things we can apologize for, and for me it makes the medium even more appropriate.
After creating the five beaded Apologies I felt that the show needed a counterpoint to the message of sadness and regret. The mirrored sculpture Glimmer is a bright and hopeful work intended as an uplifting refuge. It is my responsibility to keep alive at least a glimmer.
Apologizing is a powerful act. Its depth of feeling, of caring, of thoughtfulness, is what ultimately interests me. What can we do? An apology is a way to begin.
The exhibition title "There's Always Glimmer" is taken from an album by Gia Margaret.
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