REBECCA ROTHFUS HARRELL: BETWEEN

on view March 11th - April 10th, 2021

Location: 6448 Hwy 290 E., Suite A102, Austin, TX 78723

Join us here on YouTube for the Artist Talk and Gallery Walk on that occurred on Saturday April 3rd at 2:15pm.

Also on April 3rd, we have a limited opportunity for you to visit with the artist Rebecca Rothfus Harrell in the exhibit with four 40 minute appointment opportunities at this link while they last (11:00, 11:45, 12:30, 1:15) and then open gallery hours from 2:00 to 6pm with a maximum of 6 guests in the gallery at a time. Please note, at this time we are still enforcing face covering and social distancing recommendations regardless or guests vaccination status.

Limited Edition Exhibition Catalog

This perfect bound soft cover catalog is limited to an edition of 50. Sized 9" x 6", with 50 full color pages. Each copy is signed by the artist.  Contents include: 

• Photos of all artworks in the exhibition

• Photos of the exhibit installed

• Artist Statement

• Abbreviated Artist biography

• Artist’s CV

Cost of $25.00 each.

Purchase the catalog online HERE or contact the gallery.

CAMIBAart Gallery in Austin is pleased to announce the opening of Rebecca Rothfus Harrell: Between, the artist’s third solo show at the gallery.  The exhibit opens Thursday March 11th and closes on Saturday April 10th, 2021.

Since the early days of her art practice, Rebecca Rothfus Harrell has been influenced by the American Precisionists of the 1920’s & 30’s, particularly their approach to spatial organization, dimensional & time flattening, and selective realism.  With regards to subject matter, just as many Precisionists explored the cities, farms, and factories that surrounded them, Rebecca initially explored the modern built environment and it’s intersection with the natural landscape, specifically looking at cell towers.  However, soon after her fascination with rocks, crystals, and gemstones took the lead, inspiring her to create artworks that were often described as surrealist landscapes or still-lifes.

With her current series of artworks, Rebecca returns her attention once again to the built environment. By documenting the signs and structures of the urban and rural landscapes that surround her, she exposes an often-overlooked world of lines, shapes, and forms, revealing the essence of these found objects.  Rebecca’s visual exploration enables us to look beyond the surface of things, into its process of decay and deterioration, exposing the object’s “between” state.

The Exhibition Statement by Rebecca Rothfus Harrell:

There are benefits and drawbacks to city development and growth. One consequence of rapid growth can be the loss of smaller, local businesses. A small business may find it is unable to continue as rent increases, unable to compete with big-box prices or loss of consumers to the convenience of online retail markets. In the transition, what is left behind are abandoned storefronts, papered windows, and empty buildings awaiting demolition. The paradox is that the same is also found in small towns dotting the landscape between the large cities. Dwindling populations leave behind shop owners faced with unsustainable businesses. An interstate while providing faster, more convenient travel draws tourism away from what had been small town thoroughfares.

I have been documenting what I identify as the primary signifier of this state of flux across the country. An empty sign hanging askew above a bolted front door, a familiar shaped frame with exposed bulbs towering over the defunct gas station or the torn fabric of a shop sign exposing the supports intended to hold it taut. I find these structures visually and conceptually captivating. They have a history but no longer serve the intended purpose. These remnants often remain on site and in a decaying state for some time. They become something ignored, part of the background noise that is the landscape, both urban and rural. As I reinterpret these objects, I aim to visually transform the found structure into an architectural form, a partition or a window through which to view. These empty signs are given new context and new meaning.

About the Artist:

Rebecca Rothfus Harrell is a visual artist living and working in Austin, TX. She earned a BFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Tufts University/School of the Museum of Fine Arts. Her work has been shown in numerous exhibitions in locations such as: Chicago, IL; Columbus, OH; Dallas, TX; Marfa, TX; Miami, FL; Philadelphia, PA; San Jose, CA; and Austin, TX. She attended residencies at The Helene Wurlitzer Foundation of NM (2019), The Vermont Studio Center (2017) and The Banff Center (2015).  Harrell is a 2020 Pollock-Krasner Grantee.

See available artworks by Rebecca Rothfus Harrell and download her Artist Statement & CV on her artist page here.