Things We Found in the Dirt
New Works by Kristin Texeira
Curated by Maria Vogel
Presented by Celsious
October 2018 - October 2019
Maria Vogel will present new works by New-York based artist Kristin Texeira. Texeira paints as proof of existing in certain moments in time. The colors she applies to her canvas aim to capture the essence of moments – the people, places, and interactions which she has experienced throughout her life. In this way, Texeira creates tangible relics of times past, preserving memories that might otherwise be overlooked or forgotten.
In Texeira’s experience, the more you recall a memory the less you remember of it. Things We Found in the Dirt is an ode to the last bits of Texeira’s childhood which she recalls in detail. This current moment stands a turning point, both in her life and career, wherein Texeira is beginning to shift from past modes of conceptualizing and creating. The objects she focuses on in her latest series are what remain after the sieve of childhood has been shaken.
Things We Found in the Dirt was conceived after Texeira recalled a specific moment from her childhood when a friend’s father, a construction worker in her town, found glass bottles buried deep in the ground while digging on a job. The artist viewed these dug-up finds as treasures and has fond memories of seeing them on display on a shelf in the friend’s home for years after.
The works on view portray found objects, possessing different meaning and memory for each individual. They do not represent a specific moment in Texeira’s childhood, rather, a universally vague experience that invites viewers to participate in their shared nostalgia. Framing the objects as unique and special finds, Texeira elevates the meaning of otherwise ordinary items. With this body of work, she hopes to bring viewers back to similar childhood experiences of adventurous days and sweet memories, when simple things, like a penny or a gum wrapper found in the dirt, could bring such profound joy.
With Things We Found in the Dirt, Texeira premiers a new style of work. In order to challenge herself and her painting practice, which typically finds home on paper, Texeira explored working in new dimensions. She began by visualizing the process behind the works before thinking of the series itself. As the bottles that were dug out of the ground found home on a shelf, so do the works in the show. Texeira’s paintings come off as light and playful but hold deeper complex meaning as representations of the last glimmers of childhood memories.
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KRISTIN TEXEIRA (b. 1988) creates abstract works inspired by her interactions with people and place. Her use of color is channeled from her sensitivity to memory. She often creates “memory maps” that retell of a specific moment in time. Texeira graduated from Massachusetts College of Art and Design in 2010. She has exhibited work via Uprise Art at the Affordable Art Fair and Art on Paper in New York City, with Hashimoto Contemporary in San Francisco, Brilliant Champions in Brooklyn, Kallenback Gallery in Amsterdam, Room68 in Boston as wells as other galleries across the country and abroad. She has been awarded residencies that include the Varda Artist Residency, The Jaunt, The Sam and Adele Golden Foundation Artist Residency, Vermont Studio Center, Alfred and Trafford Klots International Program for Artists among others. She currently lives and works in Brooklyn, NY.
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