Cool Hunting

"In Effect," another well-curated exhibition by the good folks at OKOK Gallery opens tomorrow and features new works and a collaboration from Diem Chau and Jen Stark, who both use common materials and turn them into subversive and sometimes hypnotizing works.

Apparently we have a collective infatuation with the art of paper cutting, if our videos on Chen Hang Feng and Tom Gallant are any indication. Where they work in 2-D primarily, Jen Stark transforms layers of paper by using an x-acto knife to cut out brilliant shapes and create something like a relief sculpture. The result has an intensity that only comes from the type of OCD-like concentration we tend to favor around CH. I can only imagine the repetition and focus it takes to create these labor-intensive works (pictured right, click image for detail).

Diem Chau's work, by contrast, is equally as thought-provoking but in a different way. Instead, it's her minimalist restraint that creates foggy and faded narratives through the use of found plates, teacups, silk and thread.

In Effect
Opening Reception: 9 February 2008, 6-10pm
9 February-3 March 2008
OKOK Gallery
5107 Ballard Ave. N.W.
Seattle, WA 98107 map
tel. +1 206 789 6242