February 1, 2023 702 PM
MARFA — Wrong will exhibit Christopher Cascio’s “I Went Into a K-Hole and All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt” February 4 – March 26. The opening is Saturday, February 4, 4 to 6 p.m. at 110 N Highland Avenue.
Christopher Cascio was born in New Orleans, and lives and works in Houston. He received his BFA at the San Francisco Art Institute and MFA from the University of Houston.
The exhibition includes Cascio’s most recent body of work of “quilt paintings” constructed from the artist’s T-shirts, which are often well-used as painting rags. “I’ve side-stepped painting for the time being to connect with the quilting tradition in a more tangible way. Having created paintings based on quilting patterns as well as quilting my older paintings together, it seemed natural to get into sewing colored fabrics,” said Cascio of his new work. “Because I am a hoarder and a T-shirt collector, I had a lot of material to work with. The first quilted ‘paintings’ came about after a particularly transformative therapeutic ketamine session. Remnants of a failed work I had been creating with image transfers related to this therapy have made their way into the quilts as well.”
The work combines complex color theory and motifs based on traditional quilting patterns into painted geometric abstraction. Paintings are largely made using masking tape and aerosol acrylic paint. Some visual themes include sawtooth waves, portals, stairways, crosses and pinwheels.
Over the past decade, Cascio’s art has dealt with themes of obsession, compulsion and ritual practice. The work now primarily consists of hard-edge abstraction (paintings) and is influenced by traditional quilting designs. Color and its transformative effects on the human psyche are paramount. The paintings come from a spiritual place and serve as a fount of positive energy for those who take the time to look deeply. The act of painting is curative and creates an aura of healing around the work.
Cascio is an assistant professor of studio art at the Sam Houston State University School of Art and has taught at the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, his alma mater in Houston.
Chris and his partner, Mlee Marie will do a 20-30 minute performance during the opening.
