In her first Twin Cities solo show, Kate Casanova, a Kolman & Pryor Galley artist, extends her interdisciplinary artistic practice with new works that arrest natural phenomena. The exhibition, Aftereffects: A Natural History, runs February 28 through April 11, at Kolman & Pryor with an artist reception on March 14 from 7-10 p.m.
“There’s something seductive and very human about trying to order nature or capture its ephemerality,” Casanova says. In her exhibition, she manifests this desire through a collection of new works: translucent resin casts of mushrooms, crystals and caterpillars; photographic images of fungal spores; and time-lapse video of mushroom growth. Minimal forms, biomorphic repetition and a muted color palette run throughout the work.
While taking her inspiration from natural processes, Casanova compellingly arrests those processes in time and space, creating a natural history of occurrence and memory. “Even though the creation of objects and images is an attempt at preservation, the original objects (mushrooms, insects, etc.) remain elusive,” Casanova explains. “The casts are translucent and empty. The spores are an afterimage of the actual fungal body. This absence speaks to how the passing of time renders all things intangible.”
Patrick Kemal Pryor, gallery co-owner, similarly finds intrigue and engagement in Casanova’s new work. “Kate’s work brings our attention to ephemeral occurrences that we may not only overlook, but not even think to look for,” he says. “What she reveals is both beautiful and full of a sense of longing.”
Casanova’s show is made possible in part by funding from a 2014 Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Initiative Grant.