New
Spain, New Spin, New Works, Old Tin
Jeri Moe
July 7 - August 31, 2006
Metal artist Jeri Moe of New Mexico
creates intricate and impressive nichos, retablos, and sculptures from
recycled, painted tin as well as raw tin and copper that has been cut,
hammered, and soldered. Many of her works are inspired by the
designs found on the recycled materials. Moe combines images and
words in a humorous or profound way: she is a masterful hammersmith,
as well as a wordsmith comparable to Jenny Holzer. Her works are
small in scale, but epic in substance, questioning the effects of
industrialization on the agrarian life, religion, gender, sexism, romance,
and even nostalgia.
By
combining older traditions with newer materials and expressions, Moe
dialectically engages the contemporary art world with folk traditions.
When the Spanish arrived in the Americas in the 16th century, they found
the indigenous people working with tin to make functional tools and
ornaments in much the same way the Europeans did. Tinplate (made
from steel dipped in tin) was documented in Europe as early as the 11th
century. During the 18th and 19th centuries in New and Old Spain,
tinplate manufactured in England served as popular material for tools and
ornamentation, like candle-holders, frames, canisters, and lanterns as
well as altar ornaments, crowns for statues of saints, sconces, frames and
niches for religious pictures, reliquaries, and processional lanterns. The
development of painted tin in the early 20th century was embraced by New
Mexico tin artists who created new works using the designs from the
painted materials. In the state of New Mexico, Jeri
Moe is recognized as one of the finest living tin artists still
working in a centuries old tradition.
Moe builds on the artistic legacy of
her region with an ethos of hope.
According to Moe: "Resurrecting
materials from their original uses and their discarded outcomes into
objects of cultural value is both metaphorical and progressive. The
practice shows how we can reshape ourselves within our own culture towards
cooperative and productive ends."
In
18 years, Hank Lee of San Angel Folk Art has assembled one of the most
comprehensive and provocative collections of folk, outsider, and visionary
art, featuring artists from the Americas, Africa,, and Europe.
Works from San Angel have been purchased by museums and collectors
worldwide. For more
information about San Angel, go to www.sanangelfolkart.com/jerimoe/index.htm
We always look forward to seeing you in the store and to making your
visit worthwhile. If you can't come by (please try!), then visit us at www.sanangelfolkart.com
Hank Lee and Leigh Anne Lester
San Angel Folk Art
110 Blue Star San Antonio, TX 78204
210-226-6688
11 - 6 pm 7 days a week
click below for Past Shows of San Antonio's Premier gallery, San Angel Folk Art
Smith
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