Part of Maya Freelon Asante’s “Volume” exhibition
Have you ever thought about space?
Not space in terms of galaxies, supernovas and extraterrestrial life forms, but space: the 3-D plane in which all things, animate or inanimate, exist. We carve space with our movement, our creations and our pointless amalgamations of stuff. Sometimes, however, we consume space in a different way, a beautiful way. We change space with art.
In her exhibition titled “VOLUME,” Baltimore artist Maya Freelon Asante seeks to explore space in the context of the Stamp Gallery. The exhibit opened last night in a colorful blast of art and students and will be on display until the closing reception and performance on March 6, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
As the first artist involved with Stamp’s new Artist in Residence, or AIR, program, Freelon Asante has created an interactive exhibit without paint, charcoal or clay, but instead with colorful swaths of tissue paper.
“VOLUME” intends to mimic the way tissue paper itself can both compress and expand, alternately creating space and taking it away. Freelon Asante discussed the multiple definitions of the word “volume,” which are written on the wall facing the gallery entrance and explained their influence on her creative process.
“The tagline is ‘Between me and you,’ so it’s about that space between us,” she said. “Whether there is something there or not, we should think about it.”
Though this is Freelon Asante’s first installation in the Stamp Gallery, it is not her first time working with tissue paper, nor is she a novice in a campus setting. Freelon Asante’s discovery of a stack of old, water-stained tissue paper in her grandmother’s basement inspired her eight-year, award-winning career, through which she has been able to travel and install her art around the globe.
“College settings are interesting because of the interaction with students,” said Freelon Asante. “I’m asking the whole UMD community to come and participate with me. I’ve never done that before; it’s a first.”
This shared artistic experience is a key component of the AIR program, which intends not only to give the artist freedom of expression but the larger community freedom to view, interact with and react to the exhibition. Stamp Gallery curator Jackie Milad explained the importance of a collaborative installation.
“I think it’s important to a gallery like this one is because of the diversity and range of people who are coming through the Stamp’s doors on a daily basis,” she said. “This is a really good way for them to not just experience art in a visual experience, but to really get involved with it, to see what it can do.”
The exhibit features a “quilt” of sorts that visitors can add to as they walk through. The tissue quilt will expand over time, breaching the glass barriers of the Stamp Gallery and extending into the atrium to attract new spectators. The simplicity of the activity lends to the accessibility of Freelon Asante’s work.
“Anyone can do it as long as they have patience to glue down a piece of paper,” she said.
In addition to the quilt, Freelon Asante invited guests to add to a tissue-paper spiral titled “Peace by Piece,”and listen to music by six-time Grammy nominated jazz singer Nnenna Freelon.
“Every little bit will contribute to the larger production of this piece. I think also because of not just the scale, but the color, it will be very exciting to people,” said Milad.
The gallery is a sight to behold. The colors Freelon Asante uses in her prints and sculptures are as intriguing as the medium they animate. Dramatic reds, purples, blues and yellows draw the eye in captivated wonder. From the prints emerge human sentiment — each colorful stain emerges like a long forgotten memory. Freelon Asante’s prints and sculptures are physical works yet feel more like stories about the neglected spaces that punctuate each interaction we experience as human beings.
On the walls are her intentions: “Bringing more peace, joy and light into the world is my primary objective.”
In more ways than one, Freelon Asante’s work speaks volumes.
