Penland Gallery artists redefine flaw as feature
When a favorite sweater unravels or a plate cracks, most people reach for ways to hide the flaw. PERFECTION: a question of repair turns that idea on its head, celebrating fixes that embrace wear and imperfection. On view through November 29 at Penland Gallery, the show is curated by English textile artist Celia Pym and features artists from across the U.S. and UK. According to advance press, the exhibition “celebrates the intimate and everyday qualities of mending, repair, and reconciliation.” Instead of erasing damage, the artists in this show highlight it, working with worn cloth, cracked ceramics, softened wood, and even crumpled packaging to create pieces that “leave evidence of care and attention to the change in the object.” The result is a tactile, thought-provoking survey of repair as resistance to “flawless beauty.” Featured creatives range from Tennessee textile artist Katrina Perdue to London-based architect, artist, and designer Martha Summers. “We are excited by work that visually and emotionally challenges the idea that aging or ‘damage’ is something that makes an object less than or less beautiful,” the gallery shares.
PERFECTION: a question of repair: Through November 29
John & Robyn Horn Gallery / Penland Gallery / 3135 Conley Ridge Road, Penland / penland.org/gallery/