Figure and Ground

Gary Anthes and Chris Corson
Curated by Gaby Mizes

Wednesday, August 30th through Saturday, September 23rd, 2023

In Figure and Ground, the human form speaks through the eyes and hands of photographer Gary Anthes and sculptor Chris Corson. In this collaboration, their works find humanity in unexpected places and ways — in evocative imagery; hinting at secrets; opening doors to interior life.

Anthes’s photographs of three-dimensional human forms – statues, masks, mannequins, and theater props often in ambiguous settings – are by turns tragic, joyous, humorous, or somberly enigmatic. “The qualities of mystery and transience drive much of my work,” he says.

Corson’s stories begin as shapeless wet clay and, weeks or months later, emerge as enduring ceramic figures that are at once vulnerable, introspective. “But I think they also capture strength and resilience — all universal components of the human spirit,” Corson says.

The artists invite you to ponder their work and make up your own stories. As the 17th- century French playwright Jean-Baptiste Racine said, “There are no secrets that time does not reveal.”