TORI KARPENKO
INSIDE THE LIMINAL
March 1- March 31, 2018
First Thursday Opening, March 1, 5-8PM
Traver Gallery is pleased to announce our second exhibition of paintings by artist Tori Karpenko. This new body of abstracted acrylic on panel landscapes is comprised of sixteen 2D and one shaped panel. Karpenko says of this collection of works, “my artwork is rooted in a sense of place, and for me the most special place of all is the wilderness of the North Cascades. ‘Inside the Liminal’ pays homage to the unique colors and dynamic textures that sparked inspiration, discovery and renewal at times when I intentionally pursued the solace of liminal space through solitude in the mountain wilderness. Where liminality was originally most often used to describe a specific stage in rituals tied to cultural contexts, I am using this word to speak of an evanescent and fluid state of mind found in a more personal ritual.”
“I find it most often in the studio and the deeper I go into the mountains. The symbiosis of studio and sojourn creates a profound conversation between raw experience and deeper contemplation as I bring elements of wild space to life in a painting. Liminal creatures such as the fox figure prominently in mythology as shapeshifters and spirit guides, while images of shadows, reflections on water, bridges, transitional moments between seasons, death/rebirth, and the eclipse capture a blurry boundary between worlds.”
Karpenko received his BFA from Drake University. During his studies, he attended the Lorenzo de Medici Institute of Italian Studies in Florence, Italy. In 2011 Tori began working for TwispWorks, a community inspired project that has re-purposed a 6.5 acre seventeen-building campus, former US Forest Service complex into a hub for creative enterprise where Karpenko is responsible for the oversight of the Artist in Residence Program and development of a destination education program. Tori has been exhibiting in North Central Washington and Seattle since moving to Washington state in 2000.
For additional information, please contact Traver gallery at 206.587.6501 or info@travergallery.com