The Sicardi Gallery has paired two artists, both born in South America, one in Montevideo and one in Buenos Aires, who share an interest in creating colorful, vibrant art, though they are not collaborators with each other. Graciela Hasper works with acrylics on canvas to create wall art, and Marta Chilindron uses colored, transparent acrylic to create flexible sculptures.
Hasper doesn't title her works, and they are designed to be hung horizontally or vertically, with the possibility of being varied at will. A 2014 work, 53x77", has cascading transparent planes of different colors, some square, some rectangular, along with a few cubes and rectangles. It has enormous power and energy, and somehow it seems orderly as well as chaotic - I sensed that the varied elements would glide past rather than run into one another.
I viewed this work as well on the Sicardi website, and tilted the laptop screen to darken the image; I liked the darker version as well as the correct one. This suggests that, besides the flexibility in hanging, different lighting effects might permit even more variety.
A large 2013 painting is crowded with circles and ellipses, multicolored with strong blues, but the pale greens seem to pop out. This work is quieter, involving, and curiously peaceful. Another 2014 work has a variety of transparent colored squares, with those at the upper level smaller, creating the impression that the squares are hurtling toward the viewer. Hasper here has the various colored elements flock together, blue with blue, orange with orange, an interesting effect. The impression of movement is vivid, and the energy palpable.
Chilindron's "Orange Circle 12" - it's useful to have titles, isn't it? - is composed of ten orange, transparent acrylic elements of various shapes, hinged together, and placed on the floor. The result is highly original, a novel architectural shape, and intriguing despite its relative simplicity - the elements are all the same color. Though the hinged flexibility is a bonus, its power is in its unique shape, like an alien's calling card.
My favorite here of Chilindron is also monochromatic, "Spiral 7", flexible, of course. The transparent blue elements are each the same size, so I imagine it can collapse into quite a small space, but it is shown here partly "unfurled", creating a sense of growth and energy. If fully opened, who knows what miracles might occur.
"Cube 12 Multicolor" is 12x12x12", but can expand to an enormous width as desired. There were too many panels to count, and I imagined each to hold a chronicle of an event in the artist's life, like a lifeline file. If so, what an interesting life she must be living.
"9 Trapezoids", 30" high, has transparent panels of various colors, which for some reason reminded me of pages in a book. Their rich variety suggested adventure and drama, with the purple panel promising passion - a full life.
Chilindroncreates wall art as well, also hinged, and some of these are quite interesting, but I preferred the larger sculptures on the floor, which seemed to dominate and own the areas they inhabited.
Marta Chilindron & Graciela Hasper: Dialogues continues through August 30, Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sicardi Gallery, 1606 W. Alabama, 713-529-1313, sicardi.com.
