ADRIAN ESPARZA
at Cris Worley Fine Arts
by Todd Camplin
Because Cris Worley Fine Arts’ gallery space is split into three sections, she has had staggering openings and closings of solo shows for her artists. This Saturday on December 5th, the gallery will feature the mesmerizing work by Adrian Esparza. Robert Lansden’s show ends December 19th, while Ruben Nieto ends January 2nd. This heavy rotation will hopefully generate some foot traffic. I have been preaching the idea that galleries are suitable for social distancing for inside spaces. But if you are squeamish about getting out, which is understandable, at least give the website a visit. Cris Worley Fine Arts was innovating even before the pandemic. I remember she had online-only shows before it became a thing. If memory serves me, Timothy Harding was the first artist in her online-only exhibition experiment. Harry Geffert sculptures are the current online-only exhibition.
If you haven’t had a chance to see an exhibition by Adrian Esparza, you’re in for a treat of colors in fibers. As a child, I used a kit to make a string craft. These kits use wood, prescribed areas to place your nails and string. I would imagine plenty of children have also made this craft. However, Esparza takes this craft and elevates it to a whole new level. The geometric shapes are intricate and beautiful. Esparza describes the lines of fibers as sarape. The sarape is a long blanket or shawl made by pre-Columbian to contemporary cultures ranging from Central American to the Southwest of the United States. Scrapes are colorful and use geometric patterns. Esparza’s works reflect color and reference geometric patterns, yet the strings are not tightly woven like a sarape. Plus, the geometry is part of the structure and is not in the incorporated design. Instead, the geometric forms are part of the invention. Esparza has deconstructed the sarape and reorganized and reshaped it. No longer wearable, these art objects become something to contemplate.
I was caught off guard by Ruben Nieto’s paintings. I was expecting a hard-edge style body of work. Instead, I encountered a group of works that were loose and free of constraint. Nieto continued in a kind of shattered cubist like feel in his images. The paintings were so emotional and chaotic. I wish I had more time to spend with them. But my kids were tugging on me to go.
In the back room are the perfectly wonderful dashed of Robert Lansden. You have very little time to see these wonders of geometry and subtle color shifts. Lansden is a disciplined artist that sticks with his themes and forms. I have visited this show again and again. Each time I notice more nuanced color shifts. I see the patterns loop over and under to create a never-ending motion machine of marks. If I get a chance, I will have to visit the show one more time. I know I will be sad to see it go.
Three rooms and online space is what Cris Worley Fine Arts is offering. Adrian Esparza, Ruben Nieto, Robert Lansden, and Harry Geffert are featured this month with the gallery. Find yourself at the gallery, or at least give a visit to crisworley.com