MARA LONNER MARCH 16 - APRIL 22, 2006 CURATED BY CATHERINE OPIE
CUE ART FOUNDATION
\Ve are honored and grateful to present this exhibition generously curated by Catherine Opie. For the CUE solo exhibition series, Ms. Opie has chosen fellow artist, Mara Lonner, who lives and works in Los Angeles. Were it not for the oppmtunity that CUE gallery affords, it is unlikely that an installation such as this would be available for public viewing, whether in a commercial venue or not.
ARTIST'S STATEMENT
The body of work presented at the CUE Art Foundation consists of colored-pencil drawings on paper and a wall work of latex house paint and drywall joint compound. These works address my interest in the spaces between, spaces that are sometimes difficult and uncomfortable, sometimes intolerable or exciting, but always are important states of transition. A favorite quote, "Exhilara tion is that feeling you get just after a great idea hits you and just before you realize what's wrong with it," articulates this state. Another example is the period between the announcement of impending war in Iraq and the reality of the first bombing. It's the state that occurs when one hears about a loved one's terminal illness and that loved one's death. The exhibition design strategy for this series is based on my idea of the IKEA model. Visitors to IKEA are greeted with items offered in ideal arrangements, objects that are available individu ally but propose a resonance when seen in relation to each other. This is the model of presentation I've used for the Between Series at CUE. The formal focus in my work is an attempt to investigate the relationship between archi tecture, drawing and sculpture. This aesthetic vehicle, in combination with the overlap between ornament and function, the intersection between labor and material, and the consideration of architecture and object, present the paradox inherent in these contrasts. It is within the spaces of contradiction that I find beauty. I work in a variety of materials ranging from those of traditional fine art to building supplies. I make choices based on the implications of each material. For example, I've used joint compound for one material of Between Now and Then to suggest exposure of that which is usually hidden. This material is used to level out the seams and dimples created as a consequence of installing sheet rock in building a wall. It takes strength and finesse to accomplish this task well, talents that are forever obscured once paint is applied to finish the wall. The images in this publication are from three bodies of work: the Between Series from the CUE exhibition; an image from The Sunset Series, 2001; and images from better, 1998. I would like to eAl_)ress my gratitude to Catherine Opie for her enduring support of my work. Mara Lonner
CURATOR'S STATEMENT
The ephemeral body encompassing light. Architecture, good taste, elements of design, perception, and everlasting beauty. In life, time passes by. These are the concepts that Mara Lonner explores in her work. She makes things that resonate in the complexities of the everyday, obsessively exploring things that seem so simple, and shifting our perceptions in the process. Some of the work has a conceptual base, while others are about looking and seeing, which is something we forget art can do-make us look. We have looked at each other's work for twenty years-first as graduate students, then lab techs �t the University of California in Irvine, and now as neighbors. Our conversations span from the political to the mundane, but always thrill in the passion of looking and creating. Artists are about longevity, the dedication of making work not only for ourselves but also in hope of an audience. Mara Lonner is an artist who so deserves that moment for all to look. Her dedication and vision are truly awesome accomplishments, and it is my great joy and pleasure to curate this show. Sincerely, Catherine Opie
study for Between Now and Then, 2006 Ink on mylar, 18" x 24"
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Between Green, 2006 Co,ored penc1 on paper, 47" x 51"
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Between Green (detail). 2006 Colored pencil on paper. 47" x 51"
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Between Blue, 2006 Colored pencil on paper, 47 1/2" x 37 1/2"
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Between Blue (detail). 2006 Co ored penc I on paper. 47 1/2" x 37 1/2"
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Between Umber. 2005 Colored penc I on paper, 33" x 51"
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Underneath (detail), 2004 Joint compound and latex pa nt on wall D1mens1ons variable
Underneath (detail), 2004 Joint compound and latex paint on wall D1mens1ons var able
All the Colors in Sunset: Orange Warm Lotus, 2000 Latex wall paint. matt medium, cheese cloth, hardware 56" X 441/2"
BI OS
MARA LONNER
Mara Lonner was born in the San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles,
in 1956. After high school, she studied horticulture with the intention of becoming either a landscape architect or forest ranger. Upon realizing that plants were more a hobby than vocation, she pursued a
career in garment design. Her design career evolved to include custom high-end clothing, off-Broadway
costume design, jewelry, interior design and architectural remodeling. Recognizing that design (and
nature) were better suited as subjects, and that her true passion was in making works of art, she went back
to school and was awarded a BFA in 1987 and an MFA in 1989 from the California Institute of the Arts in
Valencia, California. Since 1995, she has taught all levels of drawing, 2/3D design, sculpture and senior exhibition at the University of California, Irvine. In addition, she teaches at Long Beach Community
Collegďż˝ and for the California Summer School for the Arts. In 1998, she received a California Arts Council
Fellowship, and in 2001 and 2005 was awarded Artist Completion Grants from the Durfee Foundation.
The 2005 grant was awarded to assist in completing work for the CUE Art Foundation exhibition, which is her first ever New York show. Her work has been exhibited nationally. She continues to work and live in Los Angeles.
CATHERINE OPIE
Catherine Opie was born in 1961 in Sandusky, OH. She received a
BFA from the San Francisco Art Institute in 1985 and an MFA from CalArts, Los Angeles, CA in 1988.
Ms. Opie has had solo shows at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles (1997), Saint Louis Art
Museum, MO (2000), the Photographers' Gallery in London (2000), and Walker Art Center in
Minneapolis, MN (2002). Her work has appeared in the Whitney Biennial, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY (1995 and 2004); Femi11in-Masculin: Le sexe de l'art at Centre Georges Pompidou in
Paris (1995); Rrose is a Rrose is a Rrose: Gender Performance in Photography at the Solomon R. GuggenÂ
heim Museum, New York, NY (1997); Melbollme International Biennial, Melbourne, Australia (2000); and
Moving Pictures at the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, Spain (2003). She has taught at Yale University and is currently a professor of photography at the University of California in Los Angeles. Ms. Opie was the
recipient of the 2004 Larry Aldrich Award. She lives and works in Los Angeles.
CUE ART FOUNDATION MISSION CUE Art Foundation, a non-profit organization, provides educa tional programs for young artists and aspiring art professionals in New York and from around the country.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Gregory Amenoff
These programs draw on the unique community of artists, critics, and educators brought together by the
Theodore S. Berger
Foundation's season of exhibitions, public lectures, and its in-gallery studio program. Gallery internships
Thomas G. Devine
and stipends afford the next generation of art professionals intimate, working knowledge of the art-making
Thomas K. Y. Hsu
and exhibition processes. CUE's 2000 sq. ft. gallery and offices, located in New York's Chelsea gallery
Brian D. Starer
district, serves as the base for the various educational programs conducted by CUE. The Foundation's exhibition season gives unknown or under-recognized artists profes
ADVISORY COUNCIL
sional exposure comparable to that offered by neighboring commercial galleries, without the usual
Gregory Amenoff
financial restraints. CUE does not promote a particular school of artistic practice or regional bias; we only
William Corbett
require that exhibiting artists must either not. have had a solo exhibition in a commercial venue, or have
Meg Cranston
received minimal recent public exposure. CUE's Advisory Council, an honorary group of artists and leading figures from the arts
Roy De Carava Vernon Fisher
education, applied arts, art history, and literary communities, has the responsibility of selecting exhibition
Malik Gaines
curators. The curators, in turn, nominate artists to exhibit at CUE, and continue to play a role throughout
Deborah Kass
the exhibition process, helping the artists catalogue their work for exhibition. Both the Advisory Council
Irving Sandler
and the exhibition curators actively participate in the public lectures and educational programs. GALLERY DIRECTOR
Jeremy Adams DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT
Elaine Bowen PROGRAM COORDINATOR CUE Art Foundation is supported in part by public funds from the New York Department of Cultural Affairs. and the New York State Council on the Arts through the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council and the Exper,mental Television Center. ISBN: 0-9776417-1-6 All artwork © Mara Lonner Catalog des gned by Elizabeth Ellis
Beatrice Wolert-Weese PROGRAM ASSISTANT
Kara Smith
2 0 0 5/6
ISBN D-9776417-1-6
9 780977 641710
CUE
ART FOUNDATION
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