We begin with the Figure. Then the artists take liberties. And aren’t artists always taking liberties?

What if the ability to abstract from the referent enabled classical figurative art and the desire to express (something), and make connections (to ideas, materials, the mind) is foundational in abstract work? Leonardo said in reference to his drawings: “Observation + imagination”. He didn’t specify how much of each.

In this exhibition, we assume figurative and abstract art are porous categories and ask how
contemporary artists navigate the territory.

-Helen Liggett