The Skin of Reality

<p>When I visit Kari Gatzke&rsquo;s studio, which I have done a couple of times now, there&rsquo;s coffee waiting, very good coffee, and cookies. This is, outwardly, a reunion of friends.</p> <p>Yet at the same time, this encounter features an underlying atmosphere of ritual observance, despite the warmth and familiarity among the four of us &mdash; Kari and her partner, me and mine. This is an effect of the devotional intensity of her paintings. The accumulated images which fill the space &mdash; many finished, a few in-progress &mdash;breathe out an air of total absorption in an unnameable pursuit.</p> <p>Kari hasn&rsquo;t much let these paintings out of the studio. If you search her name you&rsquo;ll&nbsp;<a href="https://mim.gallery/artist/kari-gatzke/" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">barely</a>&nbsp;find&nbsp;<a href="https://fmward.com/tag/kari-gatzke/" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">evidence</a>&nbsp;of her&nbsp;<a href="http://bigredandshiny.org/15715/the-pioneers-the-victory-the-spoils/" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">practice</a>.</p> <p>Reproductions do the work no justice. You&rsquo;ll say, of course, that reproductions fail to do justice to the reality of any painting, and you&rsquo;ll be right. But we typically go around looking at reproductions anyway. (Kari&rsquo;s allowed me to use some here.)</p> <p>In the case of these paintings, reproduction denies them justice to an unusual degree, and in unusual ways. Look here.</p> <p><a href="https://medium.com/@jonathan.lethem/the-skin-of-reality-e20a39f6fda8"><strong>Click Here</strong></a></p>
Tags: skin Reality