Bellevue Arts Museum presents a rare opportunity to see Portland-based artist Judy Hill’s largely autobiographical glass and ceramic figurines. This exhibition highlights 15 sculptures and 4 works on paper spanning two decades of artistic self-expression; a compelling collection that speaks to both the artist’s autobiographical vision as well as the relationship between artist and collector.
Combining the crackled surface of raku ceramic with the transparency of cold-mold glass, Judy Hill’s figurines inhabit the space with an unexpectedly charged psychological presence. The frozen stare, the artifact-like appearance of the sculptures, and the translucence of the glass all draw the viewer into the hidden inner life of each figure. What, we wonder, is its story? As intensely personal self-portraits, Hill’s figures become engaging psychological studies in which unspecified narratives of expectation, anticipation and dilemma unfold.
The exhibition is also a fascinating glimpse into the symbiotic relationship between artist and collector. Over the past two decades, Boise-based art collectors Driek and Michael Zirinsky have developed a deep friendship with Hill, who was born in Galveston, Texas, and currently resides and works in Portland, Oregon. Of the 60 figurines produced by Hill, the Zirinskys count an astounding one-quarter as part of their collection. “Transparency and self are big parts of what one sees in my work, but I feel that the remarkable thing about this show is not so much my work, but that someone has so much of it,” says Hill. “They may in a way know my work more than I do. They have seen more of it. They have continued to support my efforts. I have believed in my abilities in a way that without them I might not otherwise.
Judy Hill: The Self Transparent; From the Collection of Driek and Michael Zirinsky is organized by Bellevue Arts Museum and curated by Stefano Catalani. |
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