Past solo exhibition in the small space at Transmission Gallery Oakland:
Marsha Balian:
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Left to right: Long Drive with Views, Riding Shotgun, Mountain Roads , 2021, mixed media, 30" x 10" each panel
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Now in the small works gallery at Transmission, a solo exhibition of Marsha Balian's recent mixed media contemplations and memory journeys. Balian delicately balances ephemera, color, pattern, paint and hand-drawn faces in these poetic excursions.
Marsha Balian: We are living in such challenging times. Our mobility is restricted. Our opportunities for connection with others, compromised. Our ability to travel safely, limited. We’ve had to hunker down several times over the last year and a half and there is worry about the possibility of another surge this winter.
All of that has led me to think about the role of art, and the experience of art-making. Art won’t necessarily make up for the many losses we have either suffered ourselves, or the need to bear witness to the suffering of others.
But art can be an escape of sorts. A visual passage to another place, to something better, something engaging, and perhaps scenic. If art can be a journey, then I’d choose to take the scenic route. I invite you to take that with me…..
All of that has led me to think about the role of art, and the experience of art-making. Art won’t necessarily make up for the many losses we have either suffered ourselves, or the need to bear witness to the suffering of others.
But art can be an escape of sorts. A visual passage to another place, to something better, something engaging, and perhaps scenic. If art can be a journey, then I’d choose to take the scenic route. I invite you to take that with me…..
