Metal Speaks: The Art of the Narrative

(CA) is pleased to announce the opening reception of Metal Speaks: The Art of the Narrative from 6-8 p.m. on Friday, May 4 at CA’s Delmar Loop Gallery.

The exhibition, which runs through June 17, features a select group of well established metalsmiths who tell stories through their artwork. The eleven exhibiting artists include Sangsook Park, Marilyn da Silva, Jung-Hoo Kim, Lin Stanionis, Jack da Silva, Namu Cho, Kee-Ho Yuen, Helen Shirk, Joe Muench, Komelia Okim, Kye-Yeon Son. 

For centuries, artists have been telling stories about the world around us through their work. Metalsmiths, however, are often overlooked when it comes to contemporary visual narratives. This exhibition serves to highlight artists who combine meticulous technique with conceptually rich narrative works. These artists challenge traditional notions of jewelry and hollowware by creating work imbued with both personal and socially charged meanings and by pioneering new techniques such as prismacolor finish on copper.

Many of the artists in this exhibition, including Lin Stanionis, have mastered the techniques necessary to create both jewelry and hollowware. Stanionis’ work is informed by the symbolic language of transcendence and desire, as she seeks to “express that moment of in-between, that moment where one is straddling the plane of transformation, where one is acutely aware of both sides and where at this point one is simultaneously both and neither.” 

Jung-Hoo Kim’s work is also highly symbolic, using a combination of abstracted figures and geometric shapes to tell stories about the human psyche. Although Kim is inspired by "the unique relationship between the Korean character and the Korean environment,” his open-ended narratives allow for a multiplicity of interpretations.

In a more overtly narrative vein, Marilyn da Silva tells stories through representational images and elements melded together into beautifully crafted wearable vignettes. These innovative pieces showcase her trademark technique of using gesso and colored pencils on hammered, etched or chased copper surfaces.

Similarly, Helen Shirk is well-known for her richly colored copper vessels and jewelry. Shirk’s interest in the natural world is evident in her luscious use of a vibrant tropical palette, achieved by a dense layering of prismacolors on her floral copper forms. 

• WHO: Craft Alliance in the Delmar Loop
• WHAT: Metal Speaks: The Art of the Narrative
• WHEN: FREE Opening Reception on Friday, May 4, 6-8 p.m.
• GALLERY HOURS: Tuesday-Thursday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Friday-Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• WHERE: Craft Alliance in the Delmar Loop, 6640 Delmar Blvd, St. Louis, MO 63130 / 314.725.1177