PATRICIA SWEETOW GALLERY is excited to present the dazzling textile works of Julia Couzens. Working intuitively rather than executing preconceived ideas, Couzens’s singular approach to her studio practice begins in picking through practical things around her, the mundane heap of life. Taking these things as they are, alert to what comes alive in her hand and triggers her senses, Couzens fashions abstract works both improvisational and acutely considered.
Fabric remnants, paper, wood scrap, thread, bits of hardware and discarded notions from consumer culture accumulate energy and presence as she stitches, bundles, cuts, recuts, patches, layers and folds – sorting possibilities while watching for a move. Tulle is foundational to Couzens’s constructions. She uses it like paint, its transparency and nuanced palette kindle the senses, sending shivers that deliberately undermine Date Night notions of femininity. It’s a fragile medium, but heaviness and density can be felt; identities dissolve into pure form, color fields float and flow, calling
our sensibilities to dance.
Artist Conversation:
Saturday, April 11, 2pm
Artists Julia Couzens and Sarah Amos
Please RSVP for seating!
Opening Reception:
Saturday, April 11, 3–5:30pm
Gallery Hours:
Tuesday - Saturday
11am – 6pm