by dan tranberg
Friday Magazine: Special Insert of the Cleveland Plain Dealer
Published September 15, 2006
Both literally and figuratively, the landscape of Northeast Ohio is always shifting.
Along with periods of economic growth and decline, urban sprawl and industrial decay, the changes in the appearance of our surroundings inevitably swing alongside deeper aspects of our lives.
Such ever-fluctuating terrains serve as inspiration for area artist Julie Friedman, whose solo show "con - nec - tion / dis - con - nec - tion," on view at Exit gallery in Cleveland's Tremont neighborhood through Sunday, September 24, is a highlight of the fall gallery season
Friedman, co-director of Gallery West at Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland, uses images of trees, transformers and telephone poles in large silhouetted paper cutouts, which depict moments within cycles of change: A tree is replaced by a telephone pole, which, over time, is replaced or overgrown by a new tree.
Using sheets of black or white paper against stark white walls, Friedman's cutouts create dramatic shadows within the gallery space, which multiply the impact of her imagery, producing a virtual forest of shapes that change as viewers interact with her installation.
Within this cluster of images, her black and white cutouts form seemingly endless shades of gray, which serve as fodder for a string of metaphors for the unavoidable state of flux in which we live.
Exit relocated to Cleveland from Kent in early August. Its premier exhibition, which ran through Aug. 27, was a group show of works by 10 local and national artists, juried by artist and Cleveland State University Art Gallery director Robert Thurmer.
The gallery plans to continue showing both local and national artists, opening a new show roughly once a month. Exit is at 2688 West 14th St., Cleveland. Call 330-321-8161, or go to www.exitgallery.com.