Selections 29

In the 1985 exhibition, Selections 29, works on paper by ten emerging artists were on view at The Drawing Center, at 137 Greene Street. The artists, selected from participants in The Drawing Center's ongoing Artists' Viewing Program, presented a variety of works on paper, which expanded contemporary definitions of drawing and enhanced traditional conceptions of the medium. The artists in the exhibition were: Paloma Cernuda, Gary Dodson, Paul Joffe, Win Knowlton, Paul Laster, Evan Polenghi, Matthew Radford, Cari Rosmarin, Robert Selwyn, and Julie Trager. All had participated in the Artists' Viewing Program at The Drawing Center.

Works in the exhibition ranged in scale from the tiny tape transfer collages of Paul Laster to Julie Trager's oversized pastel idylls. Paul Joffe's imagery made reference to a television screen, and exaggerated the graphic quality of corporate logos used in advertising. For Win Knowlton, drawings explored new ground as potential material for sculptures. Robert Selwyn's gouache paintings on paper often contrasted cartoon-like imagery with more realistic subject matter, although the artist himself preferred to view the work on an abstract level.

Gary Dodson's blue drawings were made after a visit to Japan, and dwelt on similarities between ancient and modern architecture. Similarly, the landscapes and figures in Cari Rosmarin's works were derived from the artist's travels in the Middle East. Paloma Cernuda's imaginary black-and-white still lifes evolved from earlier, more abstract pieces, and Matthew Radford's gouache paintings portrayed crowds of people seen from strange angles and juxtaposed against skyscrapers. Evan Polenghi abstractly recorded patterns of daily activities in his minimally colored ink drawings.

On Wednesday, March 13, 1985, The Drawing Center presented a symposium in which all the artists participated.