Songs for the Living by Eric Standley
February 2 – March 20, 2021
Address: 242 West 22nd Street, New York, NY 10011
Dinner Gallery, formerly VICTORI + MO, is pleased to present Songs for the Living, an exhibition of new artifacts by Eric Standley. This show marks his first solo exhibition with the gallery, which opens February 2nd and will be on view through March 20th.
Calling his works artifacts, Standley’s process is similar to an archeologist as he uncovers objects. He arranges multi-layered laser cut paper in complex formats to create pieces that allude to those already in existence but not yet found. Each layer is strategically placed to conceal or reveal color, line and form creating captivating and expansive moments with seemingly infinite details.
His pieces are based on personal visualizations of paradoxes that speak across time, cultures, religions and politics. By using familiar arches and geometric designs, particularly visual cadences from Gothic cathedrals and Muslim prayer niches, Standley focuses on the fact that there is more in common between them than not.
The Verum series, after the Latin word for truth, breaks away from the protection of the frame in his earlier works. They are a reaction to the inundation of falsehoods that dominate our public discourse and employ the delicate quality of the paper to highlight the fragile nature of trust.
The intricate forms of Standley’s work inspire us to explore the depths of his artifacts and instill an urgency to bear witness in person. Like a collection of good songs, this exhibition invokes feelings of familiarity during discovery and provides glimpses into a future that encourages tolerance, compassion and reverence for complexity, truth and the unknowable.
About Eric Standley
Eric Standley (b. 1968) received his B.F.A. from the Massachusetts College of Art and his M.F.A. from Savannah College of Art and Design. He is a Professor of Studio Art for the School of Visual Arts at Virginia Tech. Standley lives and works in Blacksburg, Virginia. Solo exhibitions include: Taubman Museum of Art, Roanoke, VA, Sharjah Museum of Art, United Arab Emirates, and the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art, Virginia Beach, VA. In addition, his work was featured in the CODA Paper Art 2015 Biannual, CODA Museum Apeldoorn, Netherlands and the 10th Anniversary (2016) of the Scherenschnitt (Shear Cutting) Museum in Vreden, Germany. Standley’s work can be found in public collections including: Palace of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, GA.