Familiar Bedfellows

FAMILIAR BEDFELLOWS

New work by Matthew Groves and Sarah Nishiura

© 2014 Lillstreet Art Center 4401 N Ravenswood Ave Chicago, IL 60640 Artwork and photographs © the artists.

Studio visit photographs © Joe Tighe and Zuri Washington.

Installation photograph © Andy Wickstrom.

Designed and edited by Tracey Morrison.

Exhibition: July 18 - August 17, 2014.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form, or by any electronic or mechanical means, without permission in writing from Lillstreet Art Center.

FAMILIAR BEDFELLOWS

New work by Matthew Groves and Sarah Nishiura

INTRODUCTION

“The other day I was working on this thing and I came up with a solution... and then I realized that it looked exactly like one of Sarah’s quilts...”

– Matthew Groves

I

n their shared Chicago home on a residential city street lined with trees,

Sarah Nishiura creates her dynamic geometric quilts in a small and impeccably organized spare room full of colorful recycled fabrics, located on the first floor.

Meanwhile, Matthew Groves sculpts his historically-influenced ceramic sculpture below, down steep steps into the dimly lit basement filled with long tables and shelves lined with plaster molds, figurines,

have been living and working together

books, and sketches. Moving their work

for over seventeen. Differing in mediums

out of their home studio and into Lillstreet

and aesthetics, their work is connected

Gallery, Familiar Bedfellows showcases

by their shared love of craft and the

Matthew and Sarah’s work side-by-side for

handmade.

the first time in seven years, although they

him (saying), ‘look at this modeling’... and it was a real revelation to put those lenses on...”

Coming from a fine art background of painting and printmaking, Sarah was first exposed to the dialogue of function in Sarah Nishiura originates from Detroit,

craft by Matthew. This issue now plays

Michigan and received an MFA in Painting

a large role in Sarah’s current body of

from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine

quilts. Partially as a need to be more

Arts and a BA in Visual Arts from Brown

commercially-viable as an artist and

University. Matthew Groves is from

partially a reaction to a limitation of space

Birkenhead, England, and received an MA

for a painting studio, Sarah entered into the

in Ceramics and Glass from the Royal

world of quilt making about 10 years ago

College of Art in London and a BA from

and has been focusing on creating hand-

Staffordshire University. The two met

sewn, functional work ever since.

while teaching in Florence, Italy, where they first experienced their divergent

For Familiar Bedfellows, Sarah has created

artistic preferences. Sarah describes:

five quilts specifically for Lillstreet Gallery.

“We went to some museum which was

Her quilts are usually sized for a large bed,

particularly sculptural and I remember

however these pieces are smaller and

going straight to the walls and just looking

presented as backdrops for Matthew’s

at the five things that were paintings and

sculptures. Though still functional, these quilts are shown on the wall like paintings.

Influenced by her love of math and puzzles, Sarah’s designs are based solely on formal issues such as perspective, motif and color.

However in this exhibition, the quilts also create a conversation with Matthew’s

The vessels are decorative yet have the

sculptures, inviting the viewer to discover

possibility of function. Some have lids

relationships between the works.

and can be used to either protect rhubarb from frost or as a curfew for coals. Others

Though usually known for his figurative

can act as bells and are presented upside

sculpture, Matthew has created tall

down, suspended above the pedestal.

vessels exclusively for the exhibition,

Similar to Sarah’s quilts, it is important to

using techniques for surface decoration in

Matthew that his work is functional.

response to the designs of Sarah’s quilts.

“I feel like the things I make need to have

“For this show, it’s a conscious effort to

some kind of cultural context which is not

be more abstract because (Sarah’s) work

purely abstract. My mind finds it easier

is so abstract... Looking at her work, it’s

to make things which have some kind of

always different and it’s always new...

function. It permits me to then have fun

and it’s so free in many ways whereas I’m

and do something that may be a bit weird.”

really uptight.”

Familiar Bedfellows showcases the work

Lillstreet Gallery is proud to exhibit

of two artists who share a life, a home,

the work of two Chicago artists whose

and a workspace, yet still maintain very

practices inspire collaboration. The

different practices. Sarah explains, “If you

connections between Sarah and Matthew’s

saw our two portfolios of work separately,

work echo the spectrum of mediums

you would just think they were very, very

represented at Lillstreet and we hope this

different and they are very different...

exhibition encourages dialogue among our

We tend to have different aesthetics so

community.

(this exhibition is) a good chance for us to think about the connections between our work. Hopefully the audience will also see connections between works that they wouldn’t necessarily pair together.”

– Tracey Morrison, Exhibitions Manager

Sarah Nishiura Untitled Quilt (Orange and Beige), 2014 100% cotton recycled and new materials, machine pieced, hand quilted.

47.75 x 45 inches

Matthew Groves Bell, 2014 Glazed earthenware with agate decoration.

25 x 13 x 13 inches

Sarah Nishiura Untitled Quilt (Black and White), 2014 100% cotton recycled and new materials, machine pieced, hand quilted.

48.25 x 43.5 inches

Matthew Groves Green King, 2014 Glazed earthenware with sgraffito decoration.

34 x 13 x 13 inches

Sarah Nishiura Untitled Quilt (Pink and Grey), 2014 100% cotton recycled and new materials, machine pieced, hand quilted.

47.5 x 44.5 inches

Matthew Groves Blue Queen, 2014 Glazed earthenware with sgraffito decoration.

30 x 13 x 13 inches

Sarah Nishiura Untitled Quilt (Blue and White), 2014 100% cotton recycled and new materials, machine pieced, hand quilted.

47.5 x 43.5 inches

Matthew Groves Lichen, 2014 Glazed earthenware with mocha decoration.

28 x 13 x 13 inches

Sarah Nishiura Untitled Quilt (Brown and Red), 2014 100% cotton recycled and new materials, machine pieced, hand quilted.

49.25 x 46 inches

Matthew Groves Dragon Scales, 2014 Glazed earthenware with impressed decoration.

25 x 13 x 13 inches

Matthew Groves Oranges and Lemons, 2012 Glazed earthenware with slip trailed decoration.

26 x 12 x 12 inches each

MAT T HEW G ROVES has been based in Chicago since 1997 and is currently a practicing studio artist, and an Assistant Professor of Fine Art at Loyola University Chicago. Originally from England, upon gaining his Masters Degree in Ceramics and Glass from the Royal College of Art, Groves made it his vocation to be an educator, a maker of ceramics, and a professional fine art and design technician. Now an award winning artist, Groves exhibits his work regionally and nationally. His most recent solo exhibition entitled ‘Universal Statuary’ was on view at the Chicago Cultural Center in 2013.

S A R A H NIS HIUR A is a Chicago based quiltmaker who utilizes traditional techniques to craft quilts out of recycled and vintage materials. Her quilts have been exhibited at numerous museums and galleries including the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles, and the Hyde Park Art Center, and will be featured at the Yokohama Quilt Fest in Yokohama, Japan in the fall. Sarah’s work has been profiled in Martha Stewart Living Magazine, Daily Candy, Chicago Magazine’s home and garden blog “Domestica” as well as numerous other publications and blogs. Sarah has an MFA in Painting from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and a BA in Visual Arts from Brown University.