CARRIE GILLEN
JOYful DISTORTIONS
Grand Hall Mural Project
UNVEILING: October 4th, 2024, 5-8PM
October 2024 - September 2025
This body of work is an output of color and form confined within folds of fabric and layers of sheetrock.
The pleating of the fabric and the interplay of light and shadow become integral components in each fabric composition. Each piece is a section of a larger story: the capturing of motion and energy into a single, solidified moment.
By wrapping a beveled armature with fabric, Carrie Gillen creates undulating surfaces that bind and hold the painted form. The fabric is the movement, and the armature around which it is wrapped is the vessel. These works embody stilled energy; they invite the viewer to contemplate the relationship between structure and fluidity. The contours also influence our understanding of color and line and their ability to further activate the fabric.
The abstract compositions draw from diverse sources, creating worlds where anything is possible. Whether offering a fragment or a panorama, each piece holds the potential for subtle revelations and unfurling narratives.
Similarly, Gillen’s sheetrock excavations delve into materiality and the discoveries that emerge from it. By layering everyday construction materials and systematically revealing them, she creates narratives that shift over time. These works, like the fabric compositions, do not rely on specific narratives or easily decipherable imagery. Instead, they evoke a sensory experience of familiar materials presented in novel contexts.
The Grand Hall Mural Project, begun in 2021, is an exhibition program featuring original, commissioned work by professional artists installed in the Foundry Art Centre’s Grand Hall. As with all of the Foundry’s arts and exhibitions programs, the project places special emphasis on the extraordinary talent of our region’s artists. These site-specific works will be a major focal point in the space throughout the year, serving as an important and vibrant backdrop for the Foundry’s next year of programming and events. The works are available for sale.
About Carrie Gillen
Carrie Gillen is a St. Louis-based painter and sculptor. She received her B.A. from Loyola University in New Orleans, and her MFA from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Her current body of work focuses on materiality, abstraction, and nuanced color relationships. She uses fabric and other materials to create dynamic wall sculptures. These novel substrates amplify tension in the form and further abstract the painted compositions within.
Gillen exhibits her work locally and nationally, including recent solo exhibitions in New York City, New York; and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She is the recipient of the Jose Jimenez Public Art Award and the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis Artist Support Grant. She is currently a studio member at Intersect STL a non-profit studio, gallery, and classroom supporting the south side neighborhoods of St. Louis.
For more information, please email Jessica Mannisi, Director of Exhibitions, at jmannisi@foundryartcentre.org.