do you believe in art miracles?

flower girls

what a whirlwind of a trip. at one point i think aurora , kathleen and i were about to loose all hope. we had 3 celphones going [and one NY caller] - talking to high level supervisors all in the hopes of finding aurora's 2 boxes full of all the art for the show. they couldn't even determine where one was - the last scan was brooklyn. there was talk of labels falling off [have you EVER had a a sticky label come off a box? come on]. GASP. frantic, sad, nervous, and yet still excited to be hanging out together, emotions ran the gamut.

and then. aurora needed a button for her pants. i went and asked the front desk of our hotel saturday morning for a sewing kit. i jokingly said to aurora - ask and ye shall receive - at least sometimes. being who she is....she turned to me and said - i haven't asked for my art... "universe. may i please have my art?"

2 hours later walking around on broadway we get a call from kathleen. aurora's 2 boxes are TOGETHER at the hub in nashville. aurora and i hug :: aurora cries :: kathleen picks boxes up :: we get to the gallery :: hang our show in 2 hours :: rush to our hotel and shower :: the show opens.

couplets - install shot

i can't believe we are the last show at square ft . but i'd be lying if i didn't say aurora, kathleen and i are scheming a show in a certain someone's native land....

shari and tom

i also can't believe shari and tom and joe all made the trek to say hello. i am so honored and lucky to have such good friends. [more on the sweetness of shari next post]

MTBE + sweetheart suckerpunch

aurora and i set up the premise for this show over the summer. we picked coordinating colors. she'd pick one [say pink] and i'd pick the other [say gray]. we also determined sizes that would coordinate. those were the parameters. she decided to make junk mail collages. i decided to turn molecular structures of environmental toxins into doily drawings. we loved that we were both turning ugly things into pretty things. we didn't show each other what we were working on until we were done. we had no idea if the pairings would hold up - if they'd talk to one another - if we were crazy....

DDE + greenola

it was a thrill to see that not only did we name colors the same [our lime greens matched!], but we even occasionally had compositions that were incredibly complementary.

Nitrogentriiodide + a community of free radicals

i love that our work is so different and yet also the same. the evidence of hand, the 3D aspects [thread/streams of junk mail jutting into space], the delicacy, the usurping of materials ideas and twisting them into something other.... her work explodes, mine is more quiet but somehow, somehow.... it works. i feel lucky.

we plan on doing more couplets shows. we just need to find venues. and figure out new parameters.

here's a little pictobrowser of all the install shots. you can also go here





p.s.
flowers from my parents

thanks mom and dad and grandma for sending the flowers. you were virtually at the opening!

Comments

Anonymous said…
omg the poor aurora! that must have been so awful. i congratulate you all on beeing individuals with really strong nerves!! second: congratulations on this beautiful show. amazing and beautiful how your pieces work together. and then i can't believe you are coming to sweden?! i kind of have to catch my breath about this post! hugs, anne.
sarah said…
who could imagine that toxins could look so pretty, such incredible work and such synergy between you, really beautiful work by you both, congrats xxx
shari said…
note to self: believe in art miracles. ;) it was such fun to be there at the opening. truly. it was a beautiful night. xox
Amy said…
I keep coming back to look at these. The colors are just beautiful and it's incredible how well the sets go together!
pixiegenne said…
holy nailbiter!
so glad it all work out. your work looks amazing.
xoxo
john said…
those pieces look
amazing together...
i also love how
you both took
something
ugly
and made
something
so beautiful...
just fantastic!
Oh my!! What a roller-coaster ride you have been on...you must all be totally wrung out!

...all I can say is, BOY, did it all pay off - these are just amazing pairings...you are right about the way they work together so intuitively - I love them. I keep on looking...

Scheming to show on this side of the pond!!??....can't tell you how big the smile on my face is at the thought of that! You know you can add one more name to the guest list right now, right....?!

Xox to you. Well done sweetie!
Susan Schwake said…
oh. my. goodness.
that was too edge of the seat for me! i could feel the drama/trauma and well, knowing what is directly involved, that must have been one heck of a trip. but all's well that ends well and honestly i wish so much that i could have come and seen this show live.
it looks marvelous. kudos to you all for keeping so calm!
s
Anonymous said…
beautiful beautiful. never have i had such fond memories of such a hectic period. Here's to many more couplets!
Anonymous said…
Lisa, everything looks so beautiful + seamless. I'm so glad Aurora's boxes were found in the nick of time. [And yes, a certain mail carrier lost our huge box of wedding paraphenalia due to a supposed "lost mailing label". It was recovered one month later. =( ]
wendy said…
the pieces work so well together.
you would have thought there was more showing and talking going on.
I am so glad the art came, so glad the show looks amazing.
and if you do that show you are scheming about I need to be the official installer!
and I want one of the pieces, they are all so fantastic. I want to see them close up so you can see the different layers you and aurora created!
lovely!
Anonymous said…
your show is beautiful. and even more special due to the art miracle.
i look forward to hearing more about meeting shari...i love the photo of her and t. checking out the art.
eshu said…
what an experience! faith in the cosmos...

those pieces are breathtaking! xo
Janet said…
Congratulations, what a success, the colours are unreal. My favourite is the limes and aubergines. Just really wish I could visit for real. well done........and breathe!!! x
Cally said…
what a story you could make a mini movie out of that one, how great that it came together, and lucky you all had each other while it was up in the air.

It is such an amazing show, and even more amazing that you didn't know what each other were making.

Sweden will be lucky to get you, will it be just the work or you in person? I'm totally jealous, I've been gagging to go back since the day I left, so much to see and no where near enough time. I think the work will be really well received over there, you both have the clarity that is so beloved in scandinavian countries.

here's to collaborations and miracles... x
perfectbound said…
such drama! i'm glad everything came together for you ladies in the end. the show looks great! congrats :)
hannah said…
oh lisa. big hugs!
Anonymous said…
Wow...what a beautiful, beautiful show. I can't seem to take my eyes off this stuff. Congratulations!
And yes, I believe there are miracles every single day :)
Klay said…
The universe really can make great things comes together - the couplings are truly wonderful. I love what they symbolize both philosophically, making something sort of ugly beautiful. And artistically, the way the two mediums play off each other. Well done - looking forward to more universal couplings.
bugheart said…
oopsie,
john above
was me.
could
you tell?
jenifer lake said…
what an excellent art miracle story. your pieces look amazing together! congrats on your show!
Anonymous said…
Wow, what a close shave. All the work looks fantastic. The joys of collaborating, when it works, are stupendous. I'm so glad you got a chance to meet the lovely Shari in person. I'm lime green with envy. xo lj
Wow, my heart was really trying to catch up when I was reading your post. What a roller coaster. I'm so happy that it was all found.

Everything looks wonderful together.
julie said…
oh my lisa..these works are fantastic - alone and as pairs. They really go so well together - the artistic intuition is amazing!!

Always believe in miracles.. glad you had such a great time..and you met shari!! XXX
Anonymous said…
i love that aurora thought to ask the universe for her art. :) so fantastic. really, my dear, these pieces are amazing--especially together, and you ladies are amazing. put another way: sweeding will be one lucky country....
Anonymous said…
I think these are really wonderful. I want to hang them all in my lab, next to where I keep the formaldehyde, MTBE, and chloroform.
Cally said…
I keep meaning to give you this link:
http://take-g.com/crafts/cande-turino.html

I read that they were wooden robots, not sure if they mean they just look like robots, or if they actually are. Either way, it made me think of you with your robot logo and your green-ness.

Have a great weekend. xxx
Unknown said…
wow, what a story! i'm glad the boxes were found in the knick of time! just curious, why is it the last opening at sq ft gallery? your work looks BEAUTIFUL together!
Molly said…
Your work is beautiful, beautiful.
Babelfish said…
I <3 seeing your works side-by side, turning the ugly into something pretty...the coincidence, how I would loved to have seen the work in person. *Breathtaking*
lisa solomon said…
wow. thank you all so much for the positive response. i'm blown away....

i am HOPING that we can have a show in sweden. it is a dream and a wish. anyone who might have a thought on spaces in sweden... please let me know [or anywhere for that matter!]

xo
amisha said…
truly an art miracle! so so happy for aurora that it all worked out. and the work looks SO good together... i am amazed at how complementary your pieces are, yet so different in style.
and really love the idea of transformation in all of this...
xox
ppd said…
lisa (and aurora):

so amazing.
really.
i can only imagine how
much more beautiful they
were in person.
x
s
Anonymous said…
i think it's really amazing that you manage to do these collaborations with people that you're so in sync with, even though your styles are different. the works look like they belong together, and are just amazing. congratulations to both of you on your show!

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