Feedback Loop
Brittany Baldwin
GALLERY I
Brittany Baldwin, #3 (detail), 2024, Acrylic on paper, 30 x 312 inches.
August 3 – September 1, 2024
Opening reception: Saturday, August 3, from 6–8pm
A.I.R. Gallery is pleased to announce Feedback Loop, an exhibition of new work by Brittany Baldwin. Baldwin will be showing a series of paintings that explore the possibility of shape through gesture. This is Baldwin’s first solo exhibition in New York City.
Baldwin’s practice is rooted in using gesture to build form. Gesture is unique in that it never presents itself the same way twice. The rhythm and movement that are inherent in gesture come together to create a language of shapes, allowing form to evolve and pulsate. Removing and editing are equally important as a way to find space again in the flurry of movement that accumulates during the process. The resulting push and pull of the mark creates a sense of three-dimensionality as certain moments begin to recede or come forward. Baldwin sees each work as an opportunity to explore energetic shifts in color, from the bold and punchy to the quiet and soft, as a way to elevate the forms she is trying to build.
For Feedback Loop, Baldwin joins several paintings together to create one continuous work that wraps around the gallery space. Feedback loops are systems in which the output is used as input for future operations of the same system. They can be found in almost every aspect of life, from biology and ecosystems to technology and business. Here the loop is between the artist and the gestures; Baldwin initiates the movement and then takes cues from the gesture to see what comes next in a cycle that continues until the work is finished. This installation gives Baldwin the chance to see the potential in the relationship between gesture and shape at a large scale.
This linear installation, composed on paper, also evokes a sense of written language. In an age where typing now comprises most of our communication, Baldwin has become increasingly aware of the importance of handwriting. Studies show that writing things by hand lights up every portion of our brains, allowing us to engage more actively with the information we are taking in or expressing, rather than receiving it passively. By stretching her script-like gestures across many linear feet, Baldwin’s installation dramatizes the act of handwriting, creating an immersive space that asks the viewer to slow down and be mindfully present as well.
Brittany Baldwin received her MFA from Pratt Institute and BFA from Adelphi University. Solo exhibitions include Feedback Loop at A.I.R. Gallery, Serious Fun at Pratt Institute, and BRAINSUGAR at Adelphi University. She has participated in several group exhibitions at Anonymous Society Gallery, Iona University, Fort Tilden, Isadore and Dunn, Knockdown Center, Pratt Institute, Con Artist Gallery, and Adelphi University. Site-specific mural commissions have included Homecoming at Adelphi University, Jump in partnership with 100 Gates Project, Power Strip in partnership with DOT Art, Jamaica Center BID, and the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Steinway Cypher at Steinway Playground in partnership with New York City Parks Art in the Parks program, and Bounce in partnership with DOT Art. Grant projects include Artist and Their Tools via the Adjunct Development Grant at Adelphi University. Baldwin is currently participating in NYC Crit Club’s Canopy Program where she was the recipient of The James Bernard Haggarty Scholarship. She lives and works in Queens, NY.
View the Press Release here.
Photography: Matthew Sherman