Wade Kramm, Dotted Plane, 2011. Courtesy of Target Gallery..
Reception: Thursday, August 11 from 6pm to 8pm
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Target Gallery, the contemporary exhibition space for the Torpedo Factory Art Center, presents Wade Kramm’s exploration of human perception in Dotted Space, on view Saturday, July 23 through Sunday, August 28.
Dotted Space will feature site-specific installations and a series of artist pop-up books that use dotted lines to demarcate rectilinear spaces. When viewed from a particular angle, the dotted lines seem like three-dimensional shapes, some of which appear to penetrate and continue through the gallery walls. The viewer must physically move about in the gallery to perceive Kramm’s invisible planes, creating a subtle revelation with each new form.
Named as the 2016 Open Exhibition solo artist, Pennsylvania-based Kramm was selected by jurors Phil Hutinet, publisher ofEast City Art, and photojournalist Victoria Milko. His work combines minimalism with architecture and perception to reshape the space in which audiences engage. By materializing planes and spaces out of the void, he invites viewers to reassess the very confines of the built environment.
“Wade’s work didn’t just take art and place it into a space—he instead made the space itself the art,” said Milko. “Abandoning the two-dimensional, transforming and utilizing the space all the way up into the corners of the room drew me in, and I hope it does the same for future viewers.”
“I picked Wade Kramm for his innovative approach in using simple forms to redefine our perception of space,” said Hutinet. “I believe that DC area audiences, including Kramm’s peers, will find inspiration in his work, methodology, and process.”
Kramm was selected as the 2016 winner of the Target Gallery’s prestigious Open Exhibition competition, which seeks to spotlight the work of one up-and-coming artist each year.
“Open Exhibition is an amazing resource for mid-career artists,” said Kaitlyn Ward, Target Gallery director. “For many, including Wade, this may be their first solo exhibition in the area. Artists use the exhibition as a springboard into D.C.’s creative community. It’s also a great opportunity for our patrons to experience high-caliber contemporary work from other parts of the country.”
Information about all of Target Gallery’s calls for artists can be found at torpedofactory.org/targetcalls.
Wade Kramm: Dotted Space runs Saturday, July 23 through Sunday, August 28. The public reception will be SecondThursday, August 11, 6 – 8 pm, with Kramm’s comments at 7 pm. The Target Gallery is open daily from 10 – 6 pm and until 9 pm on Thursdays. A digital catalog will accompany the show.
About the Artist
Wade Kramm received his master’s of fine art in sculpture at the Rhode Island School of Design. In his career, he has received several prestigious grants, including the Joan Mitchell Foundation Grant and Artist Resource Trust Grant. Kramm also held residencies at institutions such as Takt Berlin, Vermont Studio Center, and the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh. His work has been on view in the U.S. and abroad at venues such as the Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh; Athens Contemporary Museum of Art, Georgia; Sammer Gallery, New York; Clint Roenisch Gallery, Toronto; Esther M. Klein Art Gallery, Philadephia; Mine Factory Gallery, Pittsburgh; Piero Atchugarry Gallery, Uraguay; Kent State University, Ohio; and Tapir Gallery, Delaware. He is represented by Piero Atchugarry Gallery.
About the Jurors
Phil Hutinet, a third generation Capitol Hill resident, is the publisher of East City Art which he began in 2010 to document and promote the growing contemporary art movement in the eastern communities of Washington, D.C. In 2012-2013, his consultancy work east of the river yielded the Anacostia Playhouse, Craig Kraft Studios, the Anacostia Arts Center, and the 2012-2013 LUMEN8ANACOSTIA festivals. He currently produces EMULSION, East City Art’s annual regional juried show. In 2015, he coordinated the Gateway Open Studio Tour and continues to consult on numerous regional art projects. Hutinet has been interviewed by or has made appearances on the BBC, Capital Community News, Washingtonian, Washington City Paper, The Washington Post, WOL Radio, WJLA, WTOP and other local and national media.
Victoria Milko is a freelance writer and multimedia journalist based in Washington, D.C. She is a member of the Women Photojournalists of Washington and the National Press Photographers Association. Her sense of adventure and passion for storytelling has taken her from the back rooms of underground sex clubs in Washington, D.C., to illegal abortion sites in Myanmar. Between assignments, Victoria is earning her master’s degree in multiplatform journalism from the University of Maryland’s Philip Merrill College of Journalism. She also curates the work of local artists in her studio, Wild Hand Workspace.
Gallery Hours:
- Monday-Wednesday and Friday-Sunday: 10am – 6pm
- Thursdays: 10am – 9pm
Torpedo Factory is located at 105 N. Union St., Alexandria, VA. For more information, visit torpedofactory.org/target.
