CITIZEN OF BROOKLYN, CITIZEN OF THE WORLD: FEATURED ARTIST ZANE TREIMANIS AT BWAC 2011 FALL SHOW
Zane Treimanis, a featured artist of the Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition (BWAC) Fall Group Art Show, is a living example of the multicultural themes that the show, Tales of Breukelen, embraces. The group show has been described as: “Once a Dutch colony, once a city, ever since a melting pot with waves of immigrants that still to this day are settling in Breukelen creating their own mini colonies and adding to the rich history, culture and flavors…This show is the visual history, stories and tales of the people that made Breukelen one of the ‘must’ places to live in and visit in the world,” by Fritz Weiss, one of the exhibition’s co-chairs.
To illustrate that point, Latvian-born and Brooklyn-based Treimanis was chosen as one of three featured artists for her show-within-a-show, Made in Brooklyn. Treimanis’ work is primarily with wood, assembling pieces that have been chopped, sawn, nailed, and glued – occasionally using found objects. After acquiring a band saw and other tools, the artist – who holds a BFA from Pratt Institute and Masters from Brooklyn College — began to cut her own shapes and started to develop a personal vocabulary of abstract contours suggested by the human form, as well as forms in nature. Made in Brooklyn weaves together several decades of Treimanis’ work. Her most recent work explores the “bare bones” of wood, taking advantage of its natural color and texture: “The simplicity of bare wood is compatible with my current life journey back to basics.”
The artist uses color as well, but according to her current mood: “I must be spiritually positive to create white-on-white pieces,” she says. “Many of the black-on-black pieces are emotionally intense.” And it was noted in a rave review in Gallery & Studio that “Treimanis employs bright colors and biomorphic shapes to convey a refreshingly optimistic view of the human condition.”
BWAC is the largest non-profit artists group in Brooklyn, located in Red Hook. Over 300 artists will exhibit over 1200 works in Tales of Breukelen. Included in the show is a special September 11 commemoration. The opening reception, September 17, will feature the music of The Blue Vipers of Brooklyn.
MADE IN BROOKLYN, September 17 – October 16, 2011. The Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition, 499 Van Brunt Street, www.BWAC.org. Opening reception September 17, 1 to 6 p.m. For images and more information about artist Zane Treimanis, please visit www.zanetreimanis.artspan.com.
