DC Art Seen

Untitled (gestation). 2008-09, 100 hand-carved alabaster sculptures, dimensions variable. Photo by Brandon Webster.

Ami Martin Wilber: gestation
Flashpoint
916 G Street NW
Tuesday—Saturday, 10—6pm

Ami Martin Wilber’s recent show gestation at Flashpoint features one hundred alabaster stones installed directly on the floor to form a circle. The gallery is fairly dark upon entering as the installation is lit by a single light. The word gestation refers to the carrying of an embryo inside a female animal’s body, otherwise known as pregnancy. Wilber worked daily on the stones and completed them over a period of nine months.

Untitled (gestation) encourages both movement and mediation. Visitors are encouraged to sit down on the floor to observe the work. The minimal installation also allows visitors to comfortably move throughout the space to view the work from different parts of the gallery.

From a position on the floor, the stones appear to be light, cloudlike and closely positioned. This view emphasizes the installation as a whole and the layered texture of the stones created by the Wilber’s arrangement. However, standing beside the installation and looking downwards drastically changes the texture of the stones. From this position the space between each stone becomes part of the sculpture and the irregularities in the material are emphasized. For instance, all the stones initially appear to be same soft white, but different tones of gray, pink and brown emerge.

Wilber’s installation is remarkably beautiful and, overall, encourages a peaceful, contemplative state. Wilber, however, creates a tension by making the stones rather approachable. The approximately 5 x 3 inch size of each provokes the childlike desire to grab a stone and disturb the order of the work.

At the front of the gallery, Wilber also has several small drawings on view, which replicate the shapes found in Untitled (gestation). Like the installation, the repetition of shapes suggests order but the drawings are not exact. The implied movement found in the installation also appears in the drawings.

Wilber’s installation succeeds when given ample amount of viewing time. Like her process of working, the installation requires a patient and thoughtful approach and, fortunately, Flashpoint quietly caters to this method.

-Alison Reilly

Ami Martin Wilber: gestation is on view at Flashpoint until July 18.