Imprévisible brings together two groups of works, one created just before the COVID-19 pandemic and the other during the resulting lockdown. They are therefore to be regarded in the perspective of the current situation.
A highly adept practitioner of the art, Catherine Farish’s extensive experimentation with printmaking has led to her developing her own techniques, and these two groups of works clearly illustrate her expertise in the medium. The artist has a highly sensitive, and often takes an intuitive, approach in respect to the materials and various techniques she employs.
At the heart of her works in this new exhibition is the idea of the unpredictable, which the artist treats in various ways. The first series of works—La vague (triptyque) is an example—can be viewed as a veritable exploration of the notion through random motifs and the use of a relief printing technique (rolling up). Large graphic monotypes are the result.
The second series, executed during the lockdown and in all likelihood influenced by the situation we found ourselves living in, shows a fanciful, yet also unstable, world comprising convoluted drawings created on translucent gampi paper that were then printed on engraved copper plates. They are also monotypes, but in this instance smaller and more subjective.
Rounding out the exhibition are works shown recently at the Cynthia-Reeves project space on the MASS MoCA campus, including Wanderers (2) and A Fraction of a Dot, presented here for the first time. They conjure up maps and aerial views of cities, as well as constellations. Created by means of pinholes and perforations, and linked to the technique of collage and that of engraving, this series calls to mind the beauty of a stellar landscape like the Milky Way.
Photos by Guy L'Heureux
First image: «Lockdown - day 3», 2020, drawing on gampi and intaglio mounted on arches, 19 x 28 cm