AC [Direct] II Presents Mary Ivy Martin: Untitled Abstract No. 3 May 14 - June 13, 2009 / Opening: Thursday, May 14, 6-8pm

Mary Ivy Martin: Untitled Abstract No. 3
AC [Direct] II features the installation Untitled Abstract No. 3 by Mary Ivy Martin. For Martin, absence and presence are important elements in her work, both literally and figuratively. Whether this presence is site-specific or metaphysical, it leads her to ask: What is missing in her life? How do we deal with the complexity of contemporary life? How do we relate to our surroundings and the natural world? How do our experiences differ?

To expand on these questions Martin collects objects that are often walked over, passed by and taken for granted. As such, extracting these objects from their element draws attention to their own inherent history and meaning: the appearance, texture and smell, all being significant.

Through the processes of collection and installation, the artist creates new relationships between familiar objects, the installation space and the viewer; consequently reanimating the objects. Moreover, grids, binding techniques, landscaping and placement are tools used to impose an unexpected or “un-natural” order upon the materials.

Untitled Abstract No. 3 demonstrates Martin’s current work with natural materials such as grass and dried leaves which conjure up a sense of nostalgia and longing within herself. The act of working with these materials addresses her heightened awareness of a certain disconnect with nature as a resident of New York City, while also alluding to contemporary movements of environmentalism, ecological art and a rebellion against the electronic age. The materials work as a kind of gateway for the artist to explore their rich histories, contexts, complexities and questions. As with Untitled Abstract No. 3, Martin’s work challenges the boundaries between indoors and outdoors as she re-evaluates the role of nature in daily life.

A multi-faceted painter, photographer and installation artist, Mary Ivy Martin is based in New York City and works with natural materials in an effort to confront a sense of detachment with nature in daily life. She studied photography at the University of Arizona, where she began to work with organic forms. Residency programs such as Art Farm in rural Nebraska and Sproutbau taking place within a reclaimed housing project in Bremen, Germany, have provided an essential escape from a highly urban atmosphere and have fostered her interest in sustainability and communal environments. More information about Martin’s work and projects can be found at www.maryivymartin.com.


About AC [Institute Direct Chapel]
AC’s mission is to advance the understanding of art through investigation, research and education. It is a lab and forum for experimentation and critical discussion.

We support and develop projects that explore a performative exchange across visual, verbal and experiential disciplines. We encourage critical writing that challenges conventional expectations of meaning and objectivity as well as the boundaries between the rational and subjective.

For additional information about the artists please contact AC [Institute Direct Chapel].

Art Currents is a non-profit 501©3.

AC [Institute Direct Chapel]
547 W. 27th St, 5th Floor New York, NY 10001
5th Floor - #519-529 & North Alcove
www.artcurrents.org email: [email protected]
Gallery Hours: Wed, Fri. & Sat: 1-6pm, Thurs.: 1-8pm