"this exhibit consists of a central, isolated sculpture, Memory Form (Church), 2011 surrounded by the artist’s signature grids of small format prints depicting architecture in the rural south"
William Christenberry
April 23st - May 21st, at Marc Selwyn
"Following his move to New York City in 1961, Christenberry held a series of odd jobs until a conversation with Walker Evans at Time-Life inspired him to begin photographing his regional home. Evans and James Agee’s 1941 book Let Us Now Praise Famous Men, featuring images Evans had taken in Christenberry’s own Hale County, had greatly influenced the younger artist. The dialogue with Evans also laid the foundation for a lifelong friendship between the two men. Whether using photography, painting, drawing or sculpture, Christenberry’s interest in the themes and traditions of the American South translate into simple yet monumental iconography.
The exhibition at Marc Selwyn Fine Art consists of a central, isolated sculpture, Memory Form (Church), 2011 surrounded by the artist’s signature grids of small format prints depicting architecture in the rural south. Christenberry’s practice goes well beyond architectural documentation, however.
Its serial imagery speaks to the passage of time, the persistence of memory, and the emotional component of place. The artist’s decaying structures become almost anthropomorphic as they poignantly explore the relationship between man and his environment.
Marc Selwyn Fine Art
6222 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 101,
Los Angeles, California 90048
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