ArtWall Talk: Collage Redux
Join us for an art talk by Ingrid Freidenbergs at the David M. Hunt Library on Thursday July 24 at 5:30PM! The occasion provides an opportunity to discuss the artist’s creative process, inspirations, and artistic evolution. This event is free and open to the public.
Freidenbergs’ exhibition is packed with both collages and box constructions that run riot with the intricate layering of found images and objects, textures, and colors – red is prominent in the artist’s visual language. Her approach transforms disparate elements into compelling therapeutic visual storytelling.
Having been born in Latvia during WWII, collage became a way for Freidenbergs to comprehend a shattered world. Collage became a way of restructuring and rejoining parts from the past, from private passions and from the discarded remains of others. The artist said that “Collage is a way for me to make sense of the world. Form, line, texture and color are joined to balance the disparate parts. Through the process of assembling these parts I can once again start to feel in control of my life.”
For Freidenbergs, the following bears great truth: “When I cannot bear outer pressures anymore, I begin to put order on my belongings…As if unable to organize and control my life, I seek to exert this on the world of objects.” (Anais Nin, The Diary of Anais Nin)
Freidenbergs has several ways of approaching her collages. One is to start with a format, e.g. the same sized square; another is to start with a mood where an attempt at resolution is made through the use of color, texture, or form; and yet another is to sift together the many welcomed bits of debris that have found their way into her studio and have them come together with a life of their own. Finally, there are those that are based on an idea or an external influence like the nagging remains of a Leonard Cohen song, “Take this Waltz,” that got “stuck” in the recesses of her brain.
Ingrid Freidenbergs has exhibited her work in various galleries, including local venues the Bachelier-Cardonsky Gallery in Kent and the Tremaine Gallery in Lakeville. Critics have stated that her work is “…small in scale with the most exquisite and sensitive layering of found materials. There is an ever-present sense of time and history.” The New York Times wrote: “Ingrid Freidenbergs opens the proceedings with tiny squarish collages. Some recall the work of Anne Ryan, but all are beautiful.” Of her show inspired by “The Scarlet Letter,” The New York Times wrote: “…there is no doubt as to Ms. Freidenbergs’ gift for conveying atmosphere thick with something, be it guilt, intrigue, death or simply a relish for the forbidden.”
The public is warmly invited to attend the opening reception of COLLAGE REDUX! on Saturday July 12, 5-7PM, to meet the artist and engage with her work. Refreshments will be served. All sales will benefit both the artist and the library.
For more information about the exhibition, reception, or art talk, please contact 860-824-7424 or visit huntlibrary.org/art-wall.
The David M. Hunt Library, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, is committed to fostering artistic and cultural engagement through exhibitions and art talks featuring local and regional artists throughout the year.
David M. Hunt Library
63 Main Street
Falls Village, CT 06031
