on_the_line curated by Samantha Mae Dorfman artists: A.J. Bocchino - Ernest Concepcion - Sandra DeSando - Ula Einstein - Jody Elff - Monika Goetz - Rebecca Herman - Shin Il Kim - Hyungsub Shin - Robert Walden - Chuck Webster - Bill Westheimer - Andrew Zarou CLICK HERE FOR IMAGES OF ARTIST'S WORKS CLICK HERE FOR ARTIST'S BIOS The thematic group exhibition on_the_line will explore contemporary and innovative use of the idea of lines in various media including computer, installation, audio art, drawing, painting, and sculpture. All beginnings occur from the simple line. Lines represent virtual realities in art, design, science, mathematics, and physics. Lines conform to create pre-conceptualized ideas or remnants of contour, volume, and shadow through distinctions of weight and crosshatch. Lines evoke the shortest distance from point to point and are the basis for movement. Linear speed is suggested by intensity. Originating as vectors or tracing outlines, lines represent a multitude of metaphors. Realistic drawing (defining the boundaries of form), abstraction (pure compositional structure), minimalism (simplicity), map making (expressing vectors of direction), composition (as direction of eye movement and planes of perspective), and beyond into realms of science, mathematics, literary thought, and poetry all can incorporate the use of line. The line exists in a theoretical explanation of what the universe is made of by the concept of vibrating strings the size of about a millionth of a billionth of a billionth of a billionth of a centimeter. In quantum physics, the line as represented in string theory, is floating in the space-time continuum. A child’s first experience of drawing is manifested by the relationship of the eye, arm, hand, paper, and crayon to create lines. Simplicity and complexity are conveyed in a unique juncture of the ordinary line. The use of the idea of line is included in phrases such as: on-line, the end of the line, lines as facial wrinkles, electrical power lines, between the lines, imaginary line, poetic lines, the borderline, timelines, assembly line, base line, to name a few. All of the conceptual provenance of the idea of line can be expressed artistically. New media including computer technology can enhance our ability to express the line. The thematic group exhibition I propose will explore the "traditional" use of line in conjunction with metaphorical, conceptual, and theoretical expressions of the idea of line. I wish to explore various uses of the line from a fresh perspective by contrasting and complementing each chosen work to enhance the represented linear features. Artists whose work specifically investigates the realm of line will be highlighted as opposed to those artists whose work tangentially relates to the idea or usage of line. Historical reference of famous modern artists who feature lines in their work include Sol LeWitt, Agnes Martin, Bridget Riley, Robert Smithson, Paul Klee, and Piet Mondrian, to name a few. Many cultures also include the line as part of their traditional design aesthetic in modern and ancient times. Maasai (bead work), Ghana (Kente cloth), Cameroon (Ndop cloth), and other African textiles, Japanese printing, Chinese brush painting, Peruvian textiles, and "geoglyphs" or ancient earthwork lines etched in the ground in many places around the world all make use of the line in distinctive ways. Many linear concepts will be explored and a variety of sources can be referenced for the exhibition on_the_line. What is the future of the concept of line? Line usage can be expressed in "traditional" media such as drawing, painting, and sculpture. Line, in this instance, is a usually a component of a larger system of technique, subject matter, and signification. In more recent developments, theories of physics, computer media, and ideology coalesce to create current conceptual understanding of the relationship of art and line. Line can be conceived as vector, fiber optic, invisible string, network, wire frame, mathematical algorithm, and other actual and virtual realities. My intention is to create an exhibition comparing and contrasting "traditional" approaches that use line for an aesthetic or emotionally expressive effect with works that explore the line with new media such as computer animation, audio, digital techniques, and installation. The framework for this exploration is the art gallery setting by accommodating the newer media along side the "traditional".