The Arts Center at Duck Creek is pleased to present Allison Gildersleeve: Breathing Underwater, a solo exhibition featuring several new works completed at her recent residency at the Pouch Cove Foundation in Newfoundland, Canada.
Allison Gildersleeve has long pursued the representation of time and memory through abstract depictions of both landscape and domestic interiors. Her vocabulary of objects and compositional arrangements are essential to the way the works expand, contract, or merge, as memories often do. These paintings, in the context of the John Little Barn, echo the landscape of Historic Duck Creek Farm, and the compressed layers of it’s many lives: as our gallery, John Little’s Studio, and a proud 20th century grange hall.
“Painting is a kind of navigation for me, where the landmarks are moments in time. I’m relying on recollections as trail markers to guide me through the process” states Gildersleeve. “Sometimes I begin with imagery from a room where I once lived, sometimes I start with the contents of my studio table, or I’ll locate the origins of the painting from a recent walk in the woods. I might feel the sense of a certain narrative that propels me forward, but in order to negotiate the demands of my materials, the interruptions of life, the volatility of today's headlines, I inevitably end off script… I take no pains to cover my tracks, letting the history of the painting show through like breadcrumbs marking an exit should I need one.”
Allison Gildersleeve received her MFA from Bard College (2004), and her BA from William and Mary (1992). Solo exhibitions include Asya Geisberg Gallery (NYC), Robischon Gallery (Denver), Galleri Andersson/Sandstrom (Stockholm) and Valley House Gallery (Dallas). Group exhibitions include Eric Firestone Gallery (NY), Bienvenue Steinberg & J ( NY), HVCCA (NYC), PS122 (NYC), Sharon Arts Center (NH), Dunkers Kulturhus (Sweden) and Gana Art Space (Seoul). Gildersleeve has been awarded a NYFA Fellowship and residencies at The Sharpe-Walentas Studio Program, Yaddo, the Millay Colony, the Vermont Studio Center, the Liquitex Residency London and Pouch Cove Foundation, Newfoundland. Gildersleeve lives and works in Brooklyn, NY.
The Arts Center at Duck Creek is a New York State-recognized 501(c)(3) entity, located at
Historic Duck Creek Farm in East Hampton, NY. Since 2018, we have been dedicated to the
stewardship of this land as a place to inspire our community with free creative programming that
supports artists, celebrates diversity, and honors the East End’s cultural legacy. Our operations
are sustained solely through grant allocations and generous donations from the community. Our
programming is always free & open to all.
*Events are subject to change, please check our website for updates!
www.duckcreekarts.org / info@duckcreekarts.org / +1-631-604-8464
