Welcome to Twenty Seventeen, Beukkes' new collection. It's a collection of black, white and gold art, which I'm thinking has some deeper meaning about the state of the world.
"When we observe chaos objectively, without blame, without resistance, despite broken bones and vengeful shadows, a bloodless and tranquil consciousness emanates," her press continues.
She's not wrong. The world is chaos right now, in part due our — ahem — "fearless" leader. This collection — I know I called it an exhibit but Beukkes stops short of that — has the intention to let people reflect on chaos, both within themselves and in the world. In doing so, she hopes to "shatter emotional, physical and technical ‘boundaries’ through the process of execution."
What does that mean? It means you can go to Station House this Friday night and see Beukkes' black, white and gold paintings as well as her graphite series that incorporates ink and gold into the sketches. On display also will be photography from Deidra Leigh Kling (Relic Imagery). And best of luck trying to pretend it doesn't have something to do with the world at large, because with artists like Beukkes, it isn't enough to make exquisite art; she won't rest until you're uncomfortably aware of its deeper meaning.
This article appears in Feb 15-22, 2018.