ANDRIA KEEN: REGARDING A TREE
Regarding a tree is anchored by the central work, Even as the dust moves (aspect 1). A single string of hand-etched, bronze-cast maple keys drift across the sand with help from the viewer. With a gentle pull, the last key makes a two-pronged line while the rest eke out a glittering sound. Behind, a large translucent drape with an image of silver dollars flits about in the wind. The silver dollar plant, or Lunaria annua, can be found throughout the exhibition. Keen grows them in her garden and carefully takes the seed pods apart to reveal the single, delicate shells. In her framed prints, Rabbit, Sanctum, and Icy, the variances in sunlight shining through the dollars create compact yet intricate worlds.
The ‘stick’ works flow across the wall on the opposite side of the room, led by a wood-burnt fish. The patterns on the wood were intuitively etched by Keen, responding to the shape, weight, and desires of each individual stick. Mixed amongst the batch are pieces left untouched by the wood-burning pen, but when closely inspected, reveal patterns of their own. Fine white lines, colloquially called “beetle galleries”, are designed by creatures making trails in the phloem. Keen pays homage to these trails by creating her own.
Finally, the soapstone sculptures sit serenely on the half wall. Resulting from a tedious and difficult process that can be ended swiftly by hitting a fault line in the stone, these figures have fought to exist. Shiny and weighty, the shapes coalesce in different articulations, speaking to each other from across their shelves. With these pieces, and everything else, Keen makes the small and fragile monumental. She regards each maple key, stick, and cicada, and transforms them into the permanent, into the larger-than-life.
In the autumn heat, through the vibrant air, the music hidden in the shrubbery is no longer unheard. Keen has heard it, she has listened, and she has sung it back to us.
Curatorial text written by Abby Kettner.
In partnership with Gallery Weekend Toronto, and in conjunction with her exhibition, Andria Keen facilitated a public workshop, Introduction to Soapstone. Participants were taught the basics of shaping, carving, and sanding soap stone, and were guided in the making of a small sculpture using this traditional process.