PROJECTION 007: ESTHER RUIZ
Partial Light Index
MAY 12 - JUNE 30, 2023
“It is a pretty structure, isn’t it? It makes you think of something solid, stable, well linked. In fact it happens in chemistry as in architecture that ‘beautiful’ edifices, that is symmetrical and simple, are also the most sturdy: in short, the same thing happens with molecules as with the cupolas of cathedrals of the arches of bridges. And it is also possible that the explanation is neither remote nor metaphysical: to say ‘beautiful’ is to say ‘desirable’, and ever since man has built he has wanted to build at the smallest expense and in the most durable fashion, and the aesthetic enjoyment he experiences when contemplating his work comes afterward. Certainly, it has not always been this way: there have been centuries in which ‘beauty’ was identified with adornment, the superimposed, the frills; but it is probable that they were deviant epochs and that the true beauty, in which every century recognises itself, is found in upright stones, ships’ hulls, the blade of an axe, the wing of a plane."
— Primo Levi, The Periodic Table
Esther Ruiz’s studio in Brooklyn, New York.
CHART is pleased to present our seventh PROJECTION exhibition, Partial Light Index, a solo presentation of new sculptures by Brooklyn-based artist Esther Ruiz. Building on her practice of combining Minimalist forms and materials with colorful palettes and outer space-inspired fictionalizations, these newest works offer a deeper look into Ruiz’s rigorous investigations into the natural elements that make up our world and how alien at times those basic compounds can seem. The exhibition will run from May 12 to June 30, with an opening reception on May 12, from 6 – 8 pm.
“Beacons”, as Ruiz refers to them. Hand-carved from poplar, pine, and basswood, their richly-grained and smooth organic shapes contrast the artworks’ simultaneous mechanization. Inset with glittering gems such as labradorite or rainbow titanium quartz, each Beacon also bears its electronic apparatuses, with wirings and circuits winking in plain view, heightening the sense of their utilitarian function.
“Beacons”, as Ruiz refers to them. Hand-carved from poplar, pine, and basswood, their richly-grained and smooth organic shapes contrast the artworks’ simultaneous mechanization. Inset with glittering gems such as labradorite or rainbow titanium quartz, each Beacon also bears its electronic apparatuses, with wirings and circuits winking in plain view, heightening the sense of their utilitarian function.
Despite the seeming inscrutable origins of her sculptures, Ruiz doesn’t hesitate to show her work, as evidenced by the diagrams and schematic studies on view throughout the exhibition. While ostensibly empirical, satisfying explanations remain at arms’ length. Even the largest work, “Codex”, whose title offers a guide of some kind, only hints at the corresponding relationships between its kaleidoscopic squiggles of neon and the lustrous and textured minerals inset beneath each bulb.
By creating material manifestations of something emotional or imagined, Ruiz has created a suite of irresistible curios. Stimulating our insatiable desire for comprehension, the artist is content to let us revel in not-knowing, instead letting imagination fill in for meaning.
By creating material manifestations of something emotional or imagined, Ruiz has created a suite of irresistible curios. Stimulating our insatiable desire for comprehension, the artist is content to let us revel in not-knowing, instead letting imagination fill in for meaning.
Beacon I, 2023
poplar, neon, opalite, blue aura quartz, epoxy clay, plexiglas, hardware, polyurethane
11 x 5 x 3 inches (27.9 x 12.7 x 7.6 cm)
11 x 5 x 3 inches (27.9 x 12.7 x 7.6 cm)
Beacon II, 2023
pine, neon, labradorite, epoxy clay, hardware, polyurethane
10 x 4 1/2 x 3 1/2 inches (25.4 x 11.4 x 8.9 cm)
Beacon III, 2023
poplar, neon, goldstone, labradorite, epoxy clay, hardware, polyurethane
12 x 5 x 4 inches (30.5 x 12.7 x 10.2 cm)
Beacon VIII, 2023
poplar, neon, ruby kyanite, epoxy clay, hardware, polyurethane
11 x 4 x 4 1/2 inches (27.9 x 10.2 x 11.4 cm)
poplar, neon, ruby kyanite, epoxy clay, hardware, polyurethane
11 x 4 x 4 1/2 inches (27.9 x 10.2 x 11.4 cm)
Beacon VI, 2023
bass, neon, polished pebbles, glue, acrylic, hardware, polyurethane
12 1/2 x 7 x 3 inches (31.8 x 17.8 x 7.6 cm)
bass, neon, polished pebbles, glue, acrylic, hardware, polyurethane
12 1/2 x 7 x 3 inches (31.8 x 17.8 x 7.6 cm)
Cypher I, 2023
neon, MDF, red abalone, epoxy clay, hardware
16 x 7 x 3 inches (40.6 x 17.8 x 7.6 cm)
neon, MDF, red abalone, epoxy clay, hardware
16 x 7 x 3 inches (40.6 x 17.8 x 7.6 cm)
Tablet I, 2023
neon, MDF, Cobaltoan Calcite (Aphrodite Stone), epoxy clay, hardware, paint
7 x 21 x 6 inches (17.8 x 53.3 x 15.2 cm)
neon, MDF, Cobaltoan Calcite (Aphrodite Stone), epoxy clay, hardware, paint
7 x 21 x 6 inches (17.8 x 53.3 x 15.2 cm)
Codex, 2023
MDF, neon, red abalone, jasper, geode, rainbow aura quartz, sulfur, labradorite, epoxy clay, hardware, paint
24 x 37 1/2 x 5 1/2 inches (61 x 95.3 x 14 cm)
MDF, neon, red abalone, jasper, geode, rainbow aura quartz, sulfur, labradorite, epoxy clay, hardware, paint
24 x 37 1/2 x 5 1/2 inches (61 x 95.3 x 14 cm)
STUDIO VIEWS
INSTALLATION VIEWS
Installation views at CHART. Photos by Elisabeth Bernstein.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Esther Ruiz (b. 1986, Houston, TX) lives and works in Brooklyn, NY. The artist received a BA in Studio Art from Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee in 2011. She was a recipient of the 2016 Artist Grant and Williamsburg Studio Lottery from SpaceWorks and the 2014 ArtBridge Urban Modulations Public Art Installation and Award. Ruiz has exhibited in New York at Carvalho Park, CHART, yours mine & ours gallery, New Release Gallery, Regina Rex, Field Projects, Planthouse Gallery, Urban Glass, and Brooklyn Academy of Music, among other national exhibitions at Reynolds Gallery (Richmond, VA), Cross MacKenzie Gallery (Washington, D.C.), Platform (Baltimore, MD), Vox Populi (Philadelphia, PA), and the American Center for Physics (College Park, MD). Her work has been reviewed in publications including The Washington Post, Art News, VICE, The Wall Street Journal, The American Ceramic Society, Hyperallergic, The New York Times, and on National Public Radio (NPR).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
© 2023 CHART
ALL ART WORKS COPYRIGHT THE ARTIST
ALL ART WORKS COPYRIGHT THE ARTIST
PROJECTION is an initiative alongside our main gallery programming, highlighting diverse voices in intimate presentations. PROJECTION features artists in the naissance of their careers or those that have been overlooked, working across a variety of mediums and formats. All PROJECTION exhibitions will take place concurrently in two venues: our downstairs gallery space and online in our PROJECTION ROOM.