Ronna and Eric Hoffman Gallery of Contemporary Art

Maria T.D. Inocencio and Mark R. Smith: Loss of Material Evidence

September 8—December 9, 2018

 

Loss of Material Evidence comprises work resulting from an ongoing conversation between collaborators and life partners, Maria T. D. Inocencio and Mark R. Smith, about the aging and passing of their parents. Through new work created specifically for this exhibition—some works made collaboratively and others made by the individual artists—Inocencio and Smith investigate the dispersion and disposal of material possessions—long associated with specific experiences or periods of time—from their family homes. The exhibition will examine topics such as loss, remembrance, legacy, the passage of time, and the making of art as a means to process grief through abstract visual language.

No one is spared a life without profound loss. Loss of Material Evidence defines and processes the poignant and universal phenomenon embodied in the aging and passing on of parents, family members, and loved ones and, in particular, the dissolution of the home environment and material goods that have defined an individual’s or family’s life narrative. Having recently undergone this circumstance themselves, Inocencio and Smith manage their own sense of loss through artistic means in the expectation that their work will find commonality and conversation within a larger group. This type of loss, and ensuing grief, is not limited to losing a family member through death. Indeed, the exhibition is a lens through which to consider innumerable themes of loss as witnessed daily in local and world events.

Working through an abstract visual language that heavily emphasizes method, repetition, and accumulation, Inocencio and Smith imagine the Hoffman Gallery to be a meditative space where viewers can project their own unique experiences into the art. The exhibition will also incorporate familiar signifiers such as furniture, clothing, and quilts as a bridge between literal and symbolic content, combining formal austerity, humor, and memory as equal points of entry into the work.

A fully-illustrated catalogue, with an essay by Linda Tesner, has been generously funded by The Ford Family Foundation. Please join us for a gallery talk, pie tutorial, and catalogue signing on the closing of the exhibition on Sunday, December 9. Catalogues will be available for pre-sale through the exhibition for $20.00.

Reception for the Artists

Saturday, September 8

4 to 6 p.m

Gallery Talk, Pie Tutorial, and Catalogue Signing

Sunday, December 9

2 to 4 p.m.

 

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