“Lay of the Land” group exhibition
M Contemporary
205 East 9 Mile Road, Ferndale
Through February 15
The tiny-but-mighty M Contemporary has always boxed above its weight class.
Their latest group exhibition “Lay of the Land” is no different. It’s another win for the eye of curator Melannie Chard, who covets both emerging artists and stalwarts in her space.
“This show is a blend of younger and really established artists,” says Chard, putting the final touches on the exhibition moments before it opens to the public.
So we’ve got artists like S. Kay Young, Rick Vian and Carla Anderson, who have been working for 40 years in Detroit, alongside a new-ish class of Ashley Marie and Marceline Mason, whose moody and moonlit landscapes were the reason I wanted to visit this show in the first place.
“Lay of the Land,” as you might’ve guessed, has an environmental bend to it, presenting the five artists and their “unique interpretations of the natural world.”
“Enjoy it while it’s here is what we’re saying,” Chard says with a laugh.
That’s also a laugh of relief for the viewer. Luckily for patrons, it avoids any heavy-handed symbolism or messaging about environmentalism that often bogs down shows with a similar theme. A message to other shows –- we get it. Please move on, or find new ways to frame the idea.
Instead, there’s a focus on the surreal and the abstract – that’s a breath of fresh air in a polluted art world! That can be seen in two ways, like through the dream-like paintings of Marie, Mason and Vian.
“If you look at Rick Vian, his work always has a component that revolves around trees and their growth patterns. He’s the impetus for this show,” says Chard, pointing to his only piece in the exhibition, “Trout Fishing in Armenia.”
“It was such a wonderful blend of landscape and abstraction. I knew I could anchor a show around it,” adds Chard.
Photography no doubt has a place here, and represents its growing interest in the art market. It’s through the literal lens of Young and Anderson making the most of otherworldly landscapes that do still exist as the world transforms.
Young’s heady prints are as psychedelic as they come but don’t feel cheap like other tripped-out efforts. Maybe it's the layers of natural space and lighting swirling together on these gorgeous prints. Maybe it's the call to something bigger creating what she photographed in the first place.
“There’s a really strong sense of spiritualism within her work,” explains Chard.
You could stare at these photos for hours and, like clouds, you’ll constantly see something different as they appear to shift composition before your eyes.
Marceline Mason’s work first caught my eye on Instagram and didn’t disappoint in person. It’s a little on-the-nose with the recent passing of director David Lynch, but man, does it have a lot of David Lynch in her paintings of landscapes, particularly “Two Pines on Dragon Highway,” which could be the name of a “Twin Peaks” episode, and feels like you’re caught in the headlights of Lynch’s cinematic view.
You could view this show in under 20 minutes because of the size of M Contemporary’s gallery and walk away impacted.
Like a meandering stroll through the woods, however, you’re more than welcome to take your time.
“Lay of the Land” offers plenty beyond the surface to make this mini-but-mighty group exhibition worth a visit.
This post was published in conjunction with WDET.
