20 Nov 2016

Kim Piotrowski: Pushing Corners

Linda Warren Projects

Reviewed by Alan Pocaro

Glistening with metallic leaf, iridescent medium, and interference paint, the brilliant hues that adorn Kim Piotrowski’s works vibrate like the walls of the Morgan Street Station as the Green Line zips overhead.

While Piotrowski’s trademark blend of slashing calligraphic strokes and washes of matte flashe and acrylic ink are on full display, the painterly spaces, which in the past have felt claustrophobic, are decidedly less cluttered and the reference points are distinctly more figurative. Beginning as two cream-colored legs that transform into the folds of a deep burgundy dress, The Wait (2016) erupts in an orgy of short, frenetic marks.

In the evocatively titled Secrets of the Creek (2016) Piotrowski eschews the terse gestures, instead unfurling broad, alternating bands of electric red, pink, and yellow fusing with the cool blue of an isolated pond. A metaphor for the artist's vision, the clarity of the lagoon is respite from the luminous exhibition’s shivering tumult.