This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Sept. 18, 2012 - Any art enthusiast should stop in Good Citizen Gallery before"Biotextural Landscapes" finishes on Sept. 29. Displaying four sculptures by Craig Wedderspoon, "Biotextural Landscapes" lives up to the complexity of its name, delivering a gallery floor sprouting, or blooming, in forms.
The space is brilliantly utilized, a clean design allowing the viewer to easily navigate the sculptures’ intricacies. Wedderspoon, who specializes in metal and wood fabrication, balances these two mediums, celebrating texture and shadow in each of the four pieces.
Requiem, made of aluminum, reflects the energy of a tornado, with a perfectly crafted circular core.
Meadow sees poplar cut spears shooting out in various heights like jazz improvisation, the wood maintaining a gritty texture that culminates in sharp, climatic points.
The sensation of moss spreading across the floor leads the viewer to the steel-made, Pillowed, the producing shadows playing with hard and soft. Finally, Bolsa, also of aluminum, echoes the energy and weave-like texture of Requiem. The piece billows with presumed air, bursting in stillness.
Craig Wedderspoon achieves a brilliant showing of deceptive simplicity, creating clean, balanced pieces, that retain a complexity in construction and meaning. "Biotextural Landscapes" is a smart, curious, and stimulating show that is definitely worth a detour to Good Citizen Gallery.
Rachel Heidenry holds a B.A. in art history and human rights from Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, N.Y. A former Beacon intern, she recently completed a Fulbright research grant studying mural painting in El Salvador and is a fellow at the Slought Foundation in Philadelphia.
We asked her to return to St. Louis and give us her take on some of the art exhibits that have opened recently. Heidenry is also the daughter of feature editor Donna Korando.