Getting physical: Foregrounding the material nature of art

 

Ambling through the Corey Daniels Gallery in Wells feels like a treasure hunt. Antiques are freely mixed with artwork small and large, and the odd object, like a trio of brightly colored juggling balls, accentuate the highly individualistic and tightly curated selection. Wanting to only see one of the temporary shows therefore becomes something of an obstacle race in which one has to continuously fight distraction. But then again, those “distractions” are what constitutes this place and makes it feel alive and not just a hushed showroom for contemporary art.

The current “Summer Exhibition” is ostensibly not organized around a theme. However, taking in three galleries’ worth of art by Steve Bartlett, Sarah Bouchard, Timothy Wilson, Joshua Yurges and William Zingaro, I cannot help but walk away stirred by the material nature of their art.