ROOT + BRANCH
Nov 21, 2020 – Jan 9, 2021
CLAIRE SHERMAN · DAVID ZIMMER · TRINE BUMILLER · ALLISON GILDERSLEEVE
Robischon Gallery is pleased to present “ROOT + BRANCH,” an expansive group exhibition of nature-based imagery and abstraction featuring optically rich, massive-scale painting and small works on paper from Claire Sherman (NY), colorfully animated avian-themed video constructions by David Zimmer (CO), a series of nuanced, freely-painted nest paintings on panel and paper from Trine Bumiller (CO) and abstracted landscapes of vivid mark-making by Allison Gildersleeve (NY). Additionally, “CLOUD STUDY” is an intimate concurrent exhibition of small to medium scale atmospheric paintings by Ian Fisher (CO).
At a time globally when many societies are in conflict and the norms of daily life have been altered due to the pandemic, expressions of the rhythm and aliveness of Nature recall a larger encompassing truth. What exists where root and branch meet is a state of interconnection and the promise of sustenance and support. The five artists on view, through the use of complex brushwork, the physicality of paint, conceptual rigor and a vision to see the potentiality of common ground, each offer a distinct path of engagement and a kind of meditation, reflective of the shared terrain of the natural world.
CLAIRE SHERMAN
Claire Sherman received an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a BA from the University of Pennsylvania. She has completed residencies at the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation, the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, Yaddo in Saratoga Springs, NY, Aurobora, the MacDowell Colony, the Marie Walsh Sharpe Art Foundation, and the Terra Foundation for American Art in Giverny, France. Sherman’s work is included in numerous collections including the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, the UBS collections in London and the United States, the Margulies Collection in Miami, FL, The Federal Reserve, and the Art in Embassies in the U.S. Department of State. Additionally, Sherman has exhibited in major locales in New York, Chicago, London, San Francisco, and Amsterdam, among other sites. Recent group exhibitions include the Sun Valley Museum of Art in Ketchum, ID; the Able Baker Contemporary in Portland, ME; Littlejohn Fine Art in Houston TX; the Institute of Contemporary Art at Maine College of Art, and additional exhibitions in the US and Europe. Sherman is currently an Associate Professor at Drew University.
DAVID ZIMMER
Colorado artist David Zimmer has a B.A. from the University of Missouri. His work has been included in numerous national, private, and public collections, as well as several museum exhibitions including the Museum of Contemporary Art in Denver, CO, the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art, The Bemis Center in Omaha, NE, and the Museum of Outdoor Arts in Englewood, CO. A large-scale video work by Zimmer was part of Denver’s 2013 Nick Cave performance of “Music for Animals,” as a collaborative event between MCA Denver and the Denver Art Museum. Zimmer’s solo exhibition at MCA Denver entitled “Another Victory over the Sun” was the centerpiece of an expansive show which featured only artworks that were self-illuminating within the geometry of the David Adjaye-designed museum building.
TRINE BUMILLER
A BFA graduate of the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design, Trine Bumiller has exhibited her work at Markel Fine Arts in New York, NY, Denver Botanic Gardens in Denver, CO, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Denver, CO, University of Wyoming Art Museum, Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, Museum of Contemporary Art in Fort Collins, CO, Redline Gallery, and numerous other museums. Her work is included in collections such as the State of Colorado, the City, and County of Denver, the University of Iowa, Denali National Park, Rocky Mountain National Park, the University of Colorado, The Children’s Hospital of Denver, the Japanese Consulate General, as well as many corporate and private collections. Bumiller has received many fellowships and awards including a Rocky Mountain National Park Artist in Residence award, a Denali National Park Artist in Residence award, Colorado Council on the Arts award, and residencies to the Rocky Mountain Women’s Institute and Yaddo in Saratoga Springs, New York.
ALLISON GILDERSLEEVE
Allison Gildersleeve received an MFA from Bard College in 2004, and a Bachelor of Arts from the College of William and Mary in 1992. Gildersleeve has exhibited widely across the United States and abroad. Notable solo exhibitions include Olle Nymans Ateljeer in Stockholm, SE, Asya Geisberg Gallery in New York, NY, Auxiliary Projects in Brooklyn, NY, Robischon Gallery in Denver, CO, Cynthia Reeves in Walpole NH, Valley House Gallery in Dallas, TX and Galleri Andersson/Sandstrom in Stockholm, Sweden. Selected group exhibitions include Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art, NY, CRG Gallery, New York, NY, PS122, New York, NY, Sharon Arts Center, NH, Dunkers Kulturhus, Helsingborg, SE, and Gana Art Space in Seoul, Korea. Gildersleeve was a 2018-2019 recipient of the Sharpe-Walentas Studio Program in Brooklyn, NY. She has been awarded an NYFA Fellowship in Painting, and residencies at Yaddo, Millay Colony, the Vermont Studio Center, and most recently, the Liquitex International Research Residency in London. Gildersleeve lives and works in Brooklyn, NY.
Image: Allison Gildersleeve, "Behind the House", Oil on canvas, 60" x 64".