Heather Gaudio Fine Art is pleased to announce “An Inverception,” a site-specific installation created by roster artist Jaq Belcher. This is the first time the gallery will dedicate its entire space to one artist who will create a work designed specifically for its location. Belcher will commence preparing the installation on March 29th and it will be on view through April 8th. The public is invited to witness the artist at work starting the afternoon of March 30th – April 1st.
“An Inverception” will consist of one large single sheet of paper measuring 64 by 51 inches which will be suspended from the ceiling. Hand-cut with the use of an Exacto knife, Belcher’s identifiable process, the sheet will consist of thousands of cuts. Placed below the sheet will be the “seeds” that have been cut out from this and previous works from the past ten years. 77,700 seeds will be arranged in a floor drawing measuring 108 x 108 inches.
Much of Jaq’s work references numerology, cosmology and other symbolic significances about our place in the universe. Deciphering these codes or understanding their meaning does not, however, detract from the stunningly visual experience her work evokes. Belcher uses an Exacto knife to hand-cut seeds from single sheets of paper to make stunningly beautiful patterns, creating voids, raising or folding the pieces to accentuate the design. These lifted or pushed surfaces make for shadows that in turn can form subtle changes in the tonality of the white paper according to the time of day or light that is surrounding it. Belcher’s work draws the viewer in and elicits an initial reaction of awe and amazement at the technique behind the meticulous, labor-intensive process. Further pause evokes a more mesmerizing and meditative experience, allowing for a quietude and a deeper consciousness to emerge.
With this in mind, the gallery will provide seating for viewers to spend as much time as they please to contemplate the work before them. Installed on the gallery walls will be other framed works by Belcher as well as another unframed piece revealing more about her artistic process. Belcher carefully keeps track of the number of cuts that are in each piece and numbers each seed on the reverse. She also makes notations along the margins of her work, documenting time frames, thoughts and ideas that emerge as she creates.