South County Invitational

Showcasing Connections and Contrasts

by J. Fatima Martins

Sumo wrestling. It’s a sport. It’s a performance. And it’s art, explored in a three-part — photograph, video and
sculpture relief painting — installation by Jocelyn Foye in “The South County Invitational.”.

In “Sumo Wrestling Performance,Torrance Art Museum, CA” Foye uses sumo as source material to dialogue about the power of the body. The work is a documention and reinterpretation of an actual event, showing and exploring the movement, power and structure of human anatomy and how it affects and alters the surrounding environment as well as the material objects and other human bodies it touches.

Foye’s installation is one of the most conceptually and materially interesting works included in an exhibition featuring over 35 works by 23 artists. They are: Kevin Gilmore, Nina Briggs, Jon Campbell, Chris Sancomb, Darrell Matsumoto, Krzysztof Mathews, Barbara Crane, Susan Matthews, Daniel Stupar, Jennifer Nauck, Kristin Sollenberger, John Baylor, Richmond Lewis, Jeff Bertwell, Mary Walsh, Thomas Ladd, David Lockwood, Corwin Butterworth and Eben Horton.

Curated by the team at Hera Gallery and directed by artist and curator Adrien Mercier, the collection presents a strong sampling of the artistic talent in South County, Rhode Island. It also serves as a general survey of the myriad contemporary artistic practices, ideas and styles being explored by artists today. As a presentation it’s showcasing everything from the wild and exploratory, such as Foye, to the domestic and easy to love fine craft, such as the wood-fired stoneware pieces by Ladd, and the exceptionally beautiful blown and fused glass sculpture, “Champagne Anemone,” an example of glass abstract expressionism by Nauck.

To read more, pick up a copy of our latest issue! Click here to find a pick-up location near you or Subscribe Here.