New York artist Patti Grabel has combined her life-long obsession with food and art into the central theme of her work as embodied by the spoon, a universal object used by all cultures for the same purpose: to feed oneself and others. Chase Edwards Contemporary in Bridgehampton, New York will be showing a new exhibition of her latest work, “Causing a Stir,” from July 21st through August 4th. The gallery will host an opening cocktail reception with the artist on Saturday, July 21st from 4pm -7pm.
Every day offers myriad choices. An empty spoon eloquently represents the beginning of the creative process and the potential to imagine limitless possibilities. It is a blank canvas primed for the introduction of tastes, colors, aromas, and textures. It can deliver spicy heat or soothing coolness. It can stir and serve, give and receive.
How will you fill your spoon?
A portion of the proceeds from “Causing a Stir” will benefit City Harvest, the New York City non-profit that pioneered food rescue in 1982. This year, City Harvest will rescue 61 million pounds of nutritious food and deliver it to 500 soup kitchens, food pantries, and other community food programs across New York City, helping to feed the nearly 1.3 million New Yorkers facing hunger.
“Causing a Stir” will feature new photographic compositions printed on both paper and glass depicting wooden spoons, each with its own unique story. The narrative threads in each work embrace a variety of themes including nourishment, sensuality, creative expression, aspirations and the liberating act of taking chances. Patti’s works are representative of pages in her personal storybook. She often incorporates other references and objects to convey meaning such as text and found objects. She said, “Spoons can be seen as anthropomorphic, which works well for both food and art. I try to incorporate in my work a sense of playfulness and experimentation using a range of material from classic candies and telephone cords to paper butterflies and sand.”
Apart from the texture and sculptural quality that a spoon offers, Patti reveals their metaphorical richness, spirituality, and inherent beauty as both an artist and natural storyteller. She explains, “I strive to create work that resonates broadly, especially among women who often recognize and relate to the themes these pieces represent from my own life”.
“Causing a Stir” is about being a non-conformist and, as anyone who knows Patti will tell you she is a born boundary-pusher. As she stirs up her paint with spoons, it’s as if the spoon is a pen and the canvas is the paper on which she tells her stories. Sometimes the spoons themselves create the narratives and sometimes they are characters and props enacting her ideas. Through them, she creates a reality she sees for herself.
One of the key works to be displayed is Nature and Nurture, a multi-media installation comprising wooden spoons dipped in paint and hung from a clothesline. Patti describes the installation as a collaboration with Mother Nature—the sun baking the spoons and the wind drying them. Another traditional symbol of a women’s work, the artist has subverted its original purpose by making it serve as a kind of outdoor studio. As the spoons dry, some bubble and crack. Patti doesn’t alter them to create artificially smooth surfaces. “We accept ourselves for the beauty we embody. The spoons drip with paint and I imagine some are tears of joy, elation, and liberation.”
Patti works from her studio, which is located in Water Mill, NY on the East End of Long Island. This is the second exhibit of her work at Chase Edwards Contemporary. One of her pieces was included in a 2017 benefit event supporting Michael Bolton Charities. Her work Musical Spoons (2017) can be found in the private collection of Sound Point Capital, which is located in the Seagram building at 375 Park Avenue, New York, New York. Musical Spoons was also selected for the Museum of Arts and Design’s 60th anniversary Diamond Jubilee MAD Ball as part of their silent auction.
Chase Edwards Contemporary is located at 2462 Main Street Bridgehampton, New York 11932 and you can learn more about the exhibition herehttp://www.chaseedwardsgallery.com/ and here http://www.pattigrabel.com.
