The Artist Takes Us on a Systematic Exploration Through Materiality and Abstract Painting
By Victoria Hood
The latest exhibition, SIGNALS by Dannielle Tegeder, at Standard Space is an homage to my former boss, Jeffrey Beers (1957-2024). The architect and glassblower was a collector of Dannielle’s work and proudly displayed her paintings throughout his studio, Jeffrey Beers International, at 7 World Trade. I was always attracted to Dannielle’s work, especially her bold use of color as well as her meticulous and detailed markings. At times I felt like I was staring into the mechanical workings of a secret city or a mythical cyborg. To be able to show her work at my husband’s, Theo Coulombe, gallery is an honor, as well as a testament to Jeff’s creative and cultural impact he had on me. To strengthen the show’s meaning, The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum's Executive Director, Cybele Maylone, has agreed to an artist talk with Dannielle later this month. I also met Cybele through Jeff while they were both actively involved at UrbanGlass. To say the least, in this show I definitely feel a sense of collaborative spirits and creative souls.
Where did you grow up and what is your first impactful memory of art?
I grew up in upstate New York in a family of union steamfitters. My father's working drawings and blueprints always covered the kitchen table, and I was fascinated by the idea of the technical drawing. For my father, the technical drawing revealed the inner workings of buildings that no one else could see. Visiting work sites with him led me to a lifelong interest in the design of cities and urban planning. I wasn't exposed to art (as in studio art) until college, as a student at SUNY Purchase.
When did you know you wanted to pursue your career in art? What path did you take to become an artist?
Being an artist was my childhood dream. Once I realized that I could keep exploring the systems I was so enchanted with as a child through art, I decided to follow that path. I studied art at SUNY Purchase, then went on to graduate school at SAIC (School of the Art Institute of Chicago).
How does it feel to have your first solo show at Standard Space?
It's very exciting! It's a really unique community, since so many artists and curators now live in this area. It's fun to have a show in such a culturally rich space, but that's outside of the center of the city. It feels really inviting and fresh. There's so much going on here, and I'm lucky to be a part of that for a while with this show.
What is the inspiration behind the new works?
This work explores the relationship between materiality and abstract painting. The show includes work on linen, walnut, and mobiles, which all expose the substrate of the painting in one way or another. For the linen and walnut works, I was especially interested in texture: the grain of the wood and the weave of the fabric work almost like drawing. The mobiles take that a step further, and since I'm always responding to architecture, they really free some of my frequent symbols and forms to interact with the space.
Could you tell us more about your choice to use different mediums?
Beyond the above, walnut is also particularly interesting to work with as a living material.
I've used so many different media over the past 20 years. My drawings have served as scores for sound pieces, I have created animations using my paintings, and my work has produced collaborations with composers, musicians, and most recently my long-running collaboration with artist Sharmistha Ray through our collective Hilma's Ghost.
We explore histories of mysticism and art-making, so medium becomes very important. My work with Hilma's Ghost has made me more interested in ritual and pedagogy as a sort of working material, moving painting into different contexts and integrating it with active practices.
Which piece is your favorite and why?
I love them all! It's so hard to answer this question... I am particularly attached to the walnut paintings. I made those over two years, and I think that the combination of the organic, living grain and hard-edge abstraction creates really dynamic and unique relationships.
What do you have next on the horizon?
I've just finished a flurry of solo shows at Kevin Kavanagh in Dublin and Arroniz in Mexico City.
I'm excited for four linen paintings to be shown at the Untitled Art Fair in Miami with Max Estrella, Madrid.
Hilma's Ghost also has work up at the Library Street Collective in Detroit, and we're thrilled to be included in an upcoming exhibition opening next month at the Sao Paolo Museum of Art, curated by Adriano Pedrosa and Julia Bryan-Wilson.
In other news, we're working on a 600 ft. glass mosaic piece that will be installed at Grand Central Station in May. This is amazing for Hilma's Ghost, but also such a wonderful culmination of many of my own interests, as an artist who started out fascinated by architecture and systems.
Any last words of advice to aspiring artists?
Be generous in your community, and always think about what you can do for other artists, galleries, curators. We rely on each other, and we need each other.
Always push yourself out of your comfort zone and challenge your work in different ways. Inspiration is not always there, so keep to a schedule, and know that making work involves so much behind the scenes: researching, thinking, processing, reading, looking at other art constantly.
SAVE THE DATE
A conversation between The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum’s Executive Director, Cybele Maylone, and Dannielle Tegeder.
When: Saturday, November 23rd from 4-6PM
Where: Standard Space, 147 Main Street, Sharon, CT 06069
Standard Space is open:
Friday - Sunday, 12:00pm - 5:00pm
Tuesday - Thursday, by appointment.
Closed Monday
Address: 147 Main Street, Sharon, CT 06069
Mail: PO. Box 711, Sharon, CT 06069
Call: +1 917-627-3261
Email: info@standardspace.net
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