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Ed. Varie is pleased to present Depicting Resurgence, a solo exhibition by Dini Dixon.
Depicting Resurgence is a body of new artifacts created in collaboration with Dixon’s summer residency at Artshack, Brooklyn.
Curated by Alva CalyMayor
Opening reception will be held on Friday, September 8th from 6–9pm at Ed. Varie, 95 Avenue B, New York, NY.
For the past ten years, clay has been Dixon’s primary medium. It is through the unruly medium of clay that Dixon feels she can most intuitively express the precarious quality of the mind and externalize her emotions.The resilience Dixon observes in nature is a beautiful representation of malleability. The forest is always adapting to changes in climate; stalks and flowers are fortified by the wind, cold, and other challenges. Similarly, the mind can evolve after traumatic experiences. Threats in nature are visible, whereas the emotional struggles people face are frequently internal. In order to heal the spirit one must first acknowledge conflicts, giving them a tangible state that can be deconstructed. Often difficult as our personal struggles can be pitted against us.
Clay is often associated with fragility and vulnerability, similar to qualities women are asked to disguise in order to be taken seriously. Dixon confronts these associations by subverting conventions of the craft, allowing cracks that materialize to show. Visible flaws embody the transparency surrounding mental health Dixon celebrates in her work.Dixon’s interest in clay animation videos stemmed from the desire to preserve the actions invested in making sculptures. To enable the viewer to follow the process, Dixon records her movements while working in a stop-motion sequence. Dixon can repeat steps and distort the images to demonstrate the rhythmic choreography that happens throughout the process of making her sculptures. Dixon uses both ceramic and oil-based clays allowing her to fire and render permanent some of the objects she creates.
Dini Dixon received a BFA in Ceramics from Pratt Institute. Her work explores the intersection of video and ceramics utilizing traditional ceramic techniques and stop motion animation. In 2018 she had solo exhibitions at 808 Projects in Denver and the Thomas Hunter Project Space in Manhattan.Her video The Long Goodbye was an official selection of the 2018 Supernova Digital Animation Festival. in 2023 She will be the artist in residence at Artshack Brooklyn. Currently Dini is Director of Youth Programs at Artshack Brooklyn. She works on her ceramics and clay-animation at her studio in East Williamsburg.
ALVA CALYMAYOR b. Mexico City Alva is a visual artist living in New York. Alva makes use of a visual vocabulary that addresses social issues, perceptions of safety as well as patterns of mass consumption. She keeps track of its manifestations and the trace they leave as they are discarded, repurposed or become no longer functional. Her work has been exhibited in: Astral America (curated my Keren Moscovitch, SVA, NY), Chaos/Control (curated by Melinda Wang, Doing Living, NY), Harvest the Night (curated by Leah Dixon, Beverley's, NY), Collective Show Mexico (Casa Maauad, México, D.F.), Spring Break Art Show (NY), at MWOW (curated by Grayson Cox, Knockdown Center, NY). Alva was one of five artists selected for ("Air," Ace Hotel Residency, NY), curated by the BHQFU. She was a Mentor in NYFA's Program Mentorship for Immigrants Program (2014), formed part of the 27th Bronx Artist's in the Marketplace during 2006-2007, and received a Grant from the Stephen Sprouse Scholarship Fund for pushing the boundaries within the printmaking field. Alva has been recognized in several publications for exploring and showcasing art in a non-commercial format, for her collaborations with fellow artists through Eyelevel BQE, project that she co-funded in 2008: Interview Magazine (2013), "Alternative Histories," New York art spaces from 1960-2010, MIT Press (2012), Artists in the Marketplace second Biennial; "The Other Marketplace," Lia Zaalof (2013).
Dini Dixon b. 1991, Santa Barbara, CA. received a BFA in Ceramics from Pratt Institute in 2015. Her work explores the weaponization of women’s mental health while reflecting on her own journey searching for balance and existential wellness. The playful tone of her colors and forms suggest an irreverence toward the formality of craft. In 2018, she had solo exhibitions at 808 Projects in Denver and Thomas Hunter Project Space in Manhattan. Dixon’s video, The Long Goodbye, was an official selection at the 2018 Supernova Digital Animation Festival. Dixon has had solo exhibitions at 808 Projects in Denver, and the Thomas Hunter Project Space in Manhattan. Dixon works on her ceramics and clay animation at her studio in Brooklyn.
©Images Courtesy of Ed. Varie, 2023.
