Texturally Speaking: Liz Robb & Anna Valdez
Rare Device is pleased to announce our gallery exhibition, Texturally Speaking, featuring artists Liz Robb and Anna Valdez. On view from October 28 to November 29, 2016 with at artist reception on Friday, October 28 from 6-9pm. 600 Divisadero Street San Francisco, CA 94117.
This collection layers color, form, texture, & material. It is simultaneously a deconstruction and reconstruction of ideas, paper, & fabric. This collection, made for Rare Device, is an exciting environment of draping, drawing, stitching, and painting, producing an active and colorful experience.
Liz Robb's Artist Statement:
I work sculpturally to capture a moment in time using active processes that become meditations: dyeing, weaving, wrapping, compressing, structuring, ordering, & releasing. The repetition of these acts fosters a connection between the subconscious mind & the body, & these full body rhythmic movements allow my stream of consciousness to expand on certain conceptual ideas & develop more thoughtful conclusions.
My work is on the continuum of dialogue between the grid & its manifestations as form, content, & medium through threads, weaving, & painting. I utilize the power of the materials to construct architectural frames from which to build weighted objects in space. Localized patterns of organization translate unique spatial & physical relationships between the viewer & the sculptures. Parts of a sculpture can be compact & highly detailed, whereas others are unraveled & cascade onto the floor. Many can be installed in multiple configurations, hung from the wall or ceiling, allowing for multiple vantage points for the viewer to engage with two or three structural planes. I respond to the inherent energy of the materials & how they interact & form my decisions, balancing the tension between my control & relinquishment of control through the process. 
Anna Valdez' Artist Statement:
As a visual artist with an academic background in anthropology, and video, I view artists as cultural producers. In my work, I attempt to combine these practices into a specific investigation that cultivates not only personal identity, but also cultural meaning. Currently, I am working on various narratives that explore my own traditions and history through a visual format. This process has led me to rely on photographs, stories, family recipes, horticulture, and the tradition of crafting as something concrete in order to construct my autobiography. I consider this examination to be a rite of passage into a globalized society while simultaneously finding my niche within.
Recently, many of my pieces have been still-lifes. These arrangements have been composed from various household items such as my clothes, quilts, scarves, blankets, houseplants, drawings, paintings, books, records, and vessels. These items exist as a part of my domestic environment, and I have put them in my paintings to understand the domestic sphere as emblematic of both personal and collective experience.
About the artists:
Liz Robb's art practice focuses on soft sculpture. Based in San Francisco, she works sculpturally to create textured surfaces & forms with natural materials such as wool, cotton, jute, & indigo. She completed her BFA in Fashion Design at the University of Cincinnati & her MFA in Fibers at the Savannah College of Art & Design. Robb has exhibited her work both nationally & internationally, & has most recently completed a residency at the Icelandic Textile Center in Blönduós, Iceland.
Anna Valdez received her MFA in painting from Boston University in 2013. Her work has been exhibited in museums and galleries across the United States. Valdez’s work has been featured in New American Paintings (Issue No. 105, 115 & 127), Fresh Paint Magazine (Issue No.3) and she has been featured on numerous art blogs. Her work has recently been exhibited at the Bedford Gallery, Masur Museum of Art, the Danforth Museum, Boston University Art Galleries, Hashimoto Contemporary Gallery, The Tappan Collective, The Rebecca Hossack Gallery, Parts Gallery and En Em Art Space.