Rosalind Tallmadge is presenting a selection of works at Marquee Projects in the Hamptons.
With this current selection of paintings, Tallmadge has chosen a title of "Deep Time" as it refers to the concept of geological time and processes of erosion and sedimentation. This relates to the artist’s multiple applications and removal of both natural and manufactured materials, revealing layered painted surfaces that become meditative artifacts of real and implied history. In this sense, the paintings are essentially compressed renderings of a time that exists beyond the maker or viewer.
In addition to the conceptual aspects of the construction, the visceral and physical vitality of the paintings, themselves, evokes an unfolding and hypnotic experience. The accumulated layers of mica, leafing, and pigment create surfaces reminiscent of abalone shells, minerals, and gemstones, and the use of glitter and sequins reference textures and colors found in cosmetics, fabrics, and costumes. The aggregate materials make one think of some sort of wild geological experiment — or what Tallmadge, herself, calls “disco alchemy.”
When viewed from different angles, her artwork playfully shifts and offers the viewer an optically elusive target. We invite you to take aim and witness the collision of the seduction with the abjection, the sobriety with the humor, and the mundane with the sublime.
Moon, 2018. Silver leaf, mica and pigment on silk, 36 x 36 in.