No Escape
Kathy Moss-Reeves
phototransfers, cloth sculptures in resin and beeswax, 39" x 31";  $975
Exhibited at Village West in Wherefore Art Spring 2019


When in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes,
I alone beweep my outcast state
And trouble deaf heav'n with my bootless cries
And look upon myself, and curse my fate...

    -- Sonnet 29

The inspiration of this piece is based on a photograph taken several years ago, when I first walked the Highline in NYC and was looking toward the Hudson River. Parts of the original photograph were transferred using a printing technique, seen under and between layers of acrylic resin, beeswax, and paint. Additional figures were sculpted from found objects and cloth.

While NYC residents and tourists alike celebrate the genius that is the High Line, few consider what an invasion it must be to the longtime residents surrounding it. The subject in this art work (perhaps) reflects when the view was different but hers enjoy in obscurity. Where she once could dream or contemplate her fate in privacy, she must now share this space with an entourage of sightseers taking selfies. So she turns her back to us, leaving me or anyone else who would bother to notice, wondering if she perceives herself as cursed... or fortunate.

I imagined her pondering many of Shakespeare's soliloquies, but I selected a stanza from Sonnet 29.

If you are interested in purchasing this work, please contact Kathy Moss-Reeves or visit mossreeves.wordpress.com.

 

Village West Gallery | 331 Newark Ave Jersey City, NJ 07302                   Follow @VillageWestJC