| Archana Horsting, Angle of Repose, brings forward the artists lifelong interest in landscape and architecture, with the use of an engineering term. An "angle of repose" according to Wikipedia, is the "steepest angle of descent or dip relative to the horizontal plane on which the material can be piled without slumping".
Horsting shares that this is also a personal metaphor. "Angles are critical in my work. I look for the angles that create dynamism, but ultimately come to rest in a vibrant balancing act". She further notes that repose is a word of many meanings and associations, including rest and harmony.
And this is just the case with the mostly black and white works, composed in oil stick on paper, that invite the viewer to linger, taking in the depth, engaging with the shapes, and developing a personal interpretation and connection with each piece. The exhibition shows pieces selected from Horsting's expansive body of work by Sanchez Art Center's curatorial director Alida Bray.
Archana Horsting is well known in the San Francisco Bay Area art community. Co-founder, with Yuzo Nakano, of Kala Art Institute (Berkeley)—while having empowered a new team for day-to-day operations—Archana continues to be a leader in the arts both through example and inspiration. Her body of work draws on her local and international studies, interaction with artists from around the world, and her longstanding interest in philosophy including the later work of Ludwig Wittgenstein, whose writings share the inherent constraints in using language for communication, that she too sensed, reinforcing an interest in the area of metaphor and symbolism that have shaped her artistic voice.
Artist and writer Kim Anno notes, "Archana Horsting's work reminds us of the profound mystery in the simple geometry of living. Whether looking at pivotal photographs from the twentieth century or responding to both contemporary and historical architecture, she draws clean lines and dense thickets of what may be shape or shadow. Archana holds us rapt by slowing down, by her attention to detail and embrace of the simple elements in a work of art."
Paese, an eye-catching black and white abstract (1988, 32 x 40 in, oil stick on paper), calls to the viewer to define what they are seeing for themselves, offering a multitude of interpretations, none being right or wrong or meant to be static even for the individual. The rich deep black matte base provides a ground for the lightness of interconnected shapes forming community. A lightness in the mark making and shapes in Central Valley Vista, after David S. Wilson (2014, 32 x 40 in, oil stick on paper) attracts observers to both look down the lane to see if they can ascertain what will be found at the horizons edge, while inviting one to linger along the way. These pieces, and others in the exhibition, comport with the artist's perception of the beauty and mystery of nature and its interaction with the built work.
Horsting received a B.A. with honors from University of California, Santa Cruz. This followed a year of early entry congruent with her senior year high school at the University of California, Davis and a subsequent year internationally at the Venice Art Academy, Sculpture and Graphic Arts at L'Academia di Belle Arti di Venezia and concurrently in Art History at L'Universitá di Padova, in Italy.
For additional insight, attend the artist and curator conversation on closing Sunday, Aug 9 at 3:30 pm.
Archana Horsting
Sanchez Art Center is located at 1220 Linda Mar Blvd in Pacifica, about a mile east of Highway 1. Following opening night, the galleries are open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, 1–5 pm, and by appointment, through Aug 9.
The opening, talks, and gallery visits are free as part of the Center's focus on "Creating Community through Art".
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