RITA MACDONALD
Through September 2

Rita MacDonald (NY) first began observing the nature of line in the plaids of her Catholic school uniforms. Something as simple as the swish of a skirt disrupted the continuous lines and the regular grids. MacDonald has been creating wall drawings based on decorative designs from her personal history for the past several years. The work explores the ways that patterns conjure memories of people and places. She creates optical effects that give the impression of creases, folds, movement, and volume.

In Heap, MacDonald examines the same phenomenon on a large scale. Line, a seemingly neutral and straightforward signifier of formal control and order, visually collapses in a heap when even the notion of a physical interruption is introduced. Furthering the complexity of MacDonald’s exploration is her choice of bold red. Employing a color associated with passion and emotion, she undermines the line’s ability to remain cool and practical. In the end, Heap unites the stoic line of Modernism with the depth and layers of the everyday.