A duet at Robischon, two solos at Sandy Carson, and Lew Tilley takes his final bow.

By Michael Paglia
Westword

Published: Thursday, October 27, 2005

Sandy Carson Gallery is hosting two solos that are installed together in the front spaces. On the walls are contemporary representational paintings by Sarah McKenzie that comprise a show called Constructions; on the floor are conceptual sculptures by Virginia Folkestad that form the exhibit Stoppers.

McKenzie used to live in Colorado -- and she might move back -- but for now she's teaching at Ohio's prestigious Cleveland Institute. Her earlier work delved into the topic of sprawl as seen from aerial views, and there are a handful of these paintings in the show. Her more recent creations are close-up views of houses under construction. Two of the largest are "Build Up" and "Frame"; in these pieces, McKenzie focuses on the skeletal wood beams of the unfinished structures that, at first glance, seem to suggest constructivist abstractions. Pushing that abstract effect even further are the related studies, in which details of the larger paintings are worked out in a smaller format.

The Folkestad sculptures that make up Stoppers are all similar and all titled "Stoppers." The sculptures take the form of gigantic eggs that are scattered throughout the spaces in the front of the gallery. The shapes are made of concrete, with a steel arch emerging from the top of each; the ends are cracked and open, with tangles of braided rope spilling out.

Folkestad, who has a BFA from Metropolitan State College of Denver, became well known locally for her ambitious installations that subtly indict domestic life from a feminist standpoint. That might be true of "Stoppers," too, but it's hard to see it. I suppose you could argue that the eggs symbolize shelter, while the ropes suggest the connections between people -- but that seems quite a stretch.

It's understandable that Folkestad has turned from installation to sculpture: Installations are more work, and someone might actually buy a sculpture. Nonetheless, I do miss those incredible total designs she did during the 1990s, when her ambitious pieces took over big chunks of Edge and Spark. One of my favorites was her enormous mechanized work at the Arvada Center, "Musical Chairs."

The two different approaches used in Constructions and Stoppers allow these exhibits to preserve their individuality, a perfect situation for two solos.