An Invincible
Summer
a site specific installation by
FO(u)rt Collective
curated by
Jess Nickel
Exhibition on view September 3 - September 26, 2021
Gallery hours: Friday - Sunday,12PM-5PM, or by appointment
Opening reception: Friday, September 3rd from 6PM - 9PM
1709 SE 3rd Ave, 97214
An Invincible Summer celebrates the joyful and humorous moments that persist, even amidst chaos. Set in the temporarily empty space of the former Oregon Electric warehouse, this exhibition embodies seizing the moment and draws inspiration from the simple acts of carelessly floating in a pool, sitting by a fan or riding down a slip n’ slide. Playful gestures and bright materials activate the otherwise empty warehouse space highlighting the metaphorical optimism of sun and summer.
FO(u)RT’s method for working through the process of planning exhibitions is deeply rooted in collaboration. This allows room for cross-disciplinary pieces made by four artists who reference one another in their materials, modes of display, and formal considerations. Loose ideas for works become refined through time spent together in conversation and in the exhibition space. The warehouse, a space in transition, accommodates large scale, as well as site-specific works that consider temporality while relishing our final days of the sunny season.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Sarah Abbott is a multi-disciplinary artist based in Portland Oregon. She earned her BA from San Francisco State University and her MFA from Pacific Northwest College of Art where she was elected President of the Visual Studies program, as well as the graduate representative for the Board of Governors. Her art practice is propelled by exploring the complexities and idiosyncrasies of her home—her corner of the world.
Lauren Seiffert is a visual artist living and working in Oregon. She earned her BFA from the University of Oregon and her MFA from Pacific Northwest College of Art. Seiffert received the thesis award for strength and excellence in both her thesis exhibition and thesis oral defense. She was awarded both the David McCosh and Ida McClung memorial grants for emerging artists and has been published through SFMOMA. Her work engages formal concerns of balance, color, and scale in combination with ubiquitous materials to create fragile and corporeal sculptures.
Jessie Spiess Werner is a Texas born multidisciplinary artist based in Portland, Oregon. Her interests are planted emphatically in sculpture, drawing, and photography, and her work is rooted in process based material exploration while using frank, minimalist gestures. She took her MFA from The Pacific Northwest College of Art, her BFA from The Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design and studied at Bauhaus Universität in Weimar, Germany. She is a co-founder and curator of PAGE Space, PNCA's alumni gallery, which received a Ford Family Foundation Grant in 2018. Her work has been exhibited both nationally and internationally, and is held in the permanent collection at The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
Rachel Wolf is a professional photographer who specializes in camera-less photography, alternative / antique processes, and creates immersive environments through light-based installations. Growing up in Alaska, the presence and absence of light has been profound in Rachel’s life and work. Her images draw on a core principle of alchemy. The art of alchemy is the transmutation of matter, a process wherein something is changed from one state to another in order to achieve a higher or more valuable form. Wolf has exhibited across the United States and her work is held in both public and private collections. She earned her BA from Hampshire College and her MFA from Pacific Northwest College of Art, and can be found playing in her darkroom.
Photography by Mario Gallucci Studios