Bending and binding
Alison Croney Moses's first solo show at Abigail Ogilvy Gallery
It’s one thing to talk to an artist about her work. It’s another to see a piece in a group show. But if you want to truly imbibe the art with all its tonalities and nuances, indeed the breadth of its spirit, see a solo show. Wood artist Alison Croney Moses has her first solo show, “The Habits of Reframing,” up at Abigail Ogilvy Gallery. I’ve seen her address these same themes – motherhood, self-acceptance, stress, the body, grace – in single sculptures. Devoting a gallery space to them is like opening a song out into a symphony. They’re abstract sculptures, but their voluptuous volumes echo the feminine figure, and the way Croney Moses works with wood veneer – testing, curving, gluing – speaks to the way we humans (and maybe especially mothers) bend and bind. Here’s my review in the Boston Globe.
Images, from top: Alison Croney Moses, “The Habits of Reframing” installation view; Alison Croney Moses, “On My Own.” Photos courtesy Abigail Ogilvy Gallery.
Too bad I live so far away and remain a Covid hermit. I'm intrigued by her work, especially how, as you describe, she incorporates kintsugi to display wounds and weak spots as precious assets. You did a good job explaining how her works prove the point of her theme of strength despite (or because of) imperfections. I love her use of different woods: their colors, grains and pliability.