July 26, 2023 744 PM
MARFA — RULE Gallery this weekend will debut a group exhibition titled Weather Conditions at its Marfa location. The show includes work by Nathan Abels, Libby Barbee, Sophia Poppy Ericksen, Jacob Feige, Jillian FitzMaurice, Martha Hughes, Jim Johnson, Aitor Lajarin-Encina, Margaret Neumann and Alexander Richard Wilson. Co-curated with Florence Blackwell, the exhibition will run from July 29 to September 23, 2023.
Weather is an ever-present occurrence, profoundly impacting our mood as much as our body, affecting our decisions and disrupting plans. Atmospheres are political, scientific, and sometimes, even with the highest technological expertise at hand, entirely unexpected. Weather is both internal and external. Its consequent seasons alter agriculture and migration, and its persistent force carves and shapes the land. Throughout history, it’s also been a conduit for aesthetics and a theme depicted across countless works of art.
Jacob Fiege, Gabriel (Red Yellow), 2023, cast acrylic and acrylic on paper, 16 × 12 in.
As chroniclers of the world’s fluctuations, artists have long served as barometers, capturing the evolving circumstances around us. Technological advances in meteorology have improved the accuracy and accessibility of weather reports, making them available on every public and personal screen. The blurring of access to knowledge diminishes the separation between expert and amateur, granting artists full range to meditate on the environment from visceral to scientific to abstract matters.
The 10 artists in this exhibit evoke an understanding of the interdependencies between the human psyche and natural realms. By exploring the relationships between interior and exterior environments as well as the liminality of the in-between spaces we inhabit, the work in the show reveals narratives of ecosystems as felt through the weight of the air above us. While the atmosphere impacts us physically and emotionally, we reflect on how weather not only affects us but also resides within our imaginations, leaving a profound impact on our creative consciousness.
