Heskin Contemporary is pleased to present the exhibition, “Five Fathoms”, a portfolio of woodcuts by four visual artists and one poet. The exhibition opens October 27th and runs through December 10th, 2011. A reception will be held for the artists from 6 -9 pm on Thursday, October 27th. There will also be a poetry reading by John Reid Currie at 8:00 pm.

The bold, elegant woodcuts in this limited edition artist’s book provide a contemporary visual analog to Twain’s metaphorical tale (excerpted within) as they explore the broad formal vocabulary of abstraction:

Jebah Baum’s quirky mazelike shapes reveal a dynamic engagement with positive and negative space, inviting us to consider the puzzling nature of memory and the mysteries of connection.

Robert G. Edelman’s two-toned images are derived from expressionistic ink collages that call to mind the strangely beautiful patterns of flotsam on a flowing river or the shadows of clouds gliding over farmland.

Timothy Linn’s intuitively choreographed prints have a graphic monumentality evocative of the cuts made by a river in the surface of the earth. His crisp, austere lines pierce and demarcate large resonant fields of black.

Boris Sternberg’s tightly orchestrated constructivist compositions communicate a tragic/comic literalism juxtaposing the threatening cogs of paddle wheels against the ribbed skeletons of fish.

John Reid Curries rhythmic poem reads like a bluesy jazz suite offering a verbal counterpoint to the visual images in the portfolio. There is a longing for transcendence in his gritty riffs on past and present pop icons, urbanity and impermanence.

The portfolio is co-published with Protophorm Press. It is Heskin Contemporary’s first print exhibition.