Ready, Aim, Inspire Art Show Opens March 13

Amy Simon Fine Art in Westport has announced its latest exhibition, Ready, Aim, Inspire — a three-person show that opens March 13 and features the work of Cecile Chong, Jeesoo Lee and Joanne Mattera.

Cecile Chong juxtaposes appropriated images from vintage children's books and other found and original images to address the process of cultural assimilation and the development of individual identity. She was born in South America to Chinese parents so she learned about culture as an outsider. Her works are cross-cultural narratives using encaustic and other mixed media including oil, pigments from Morocco and India, volcano ash from Ecuador, rice paper, silver, gold and copper leaves, beads and electronic components from circuit boards.

Her encaustic panels reflect the artist's fascination with how cultural influences are visually represented and interpreted, according to a news release.

Chong's most recent works incorporate images of swaddled babies, a tradition from her native Ecuador. A tightly wrapped baby placed into an oversize shawl or blanket and strapped onto the mother's back is a familiar scene throughout the Andes. She also uses humor and memory to communicate displacement and alienation in her work.

 Jeesoo Lee works in a variety of nontraditional materials. She weaves and sews string and discarded objects to form abstracted wall-scapes and drawings. Her process involves plucking, piercing, ripping and scratching materials in order to accelerate their decay. These pieces are a kind of abstract landscape that reflect natural disaster and dislocated objects of daily life. The work of Jeesoo Lee destructs  and reformulates fragments into new compositions. She  collects and collages the debris of the everyday and transforms it into installations and works on paper.

Joanne Mattera's work focuses on two concerns — color and geometric order. The grid is the underpinning of these concerns. Her work organizes and  repeats elements, usually a stripe or square. She works with saturated color, influenced by Siennese paintings and Indian miniatures. Although the work has historical references, it is clearly a 21st-century palette. Her panels embody different intensities, transparencies and chromatic relationships.

Mattera generally works in series.  They are often done on small panels. Because of chromatic concerns regarding texture and depth, the panels require intimate viewing. These small works are installed in multiple wall-size grids. The lush color and geometry are viewed on a grand scale while still maintaining an intimate viewing experience.

 Ready, Aim, Inspire is on view from March 13 through April 24.  There is an opening reception from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 13th. Gallery hours are from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and by appointment.  For information, call 203-259-1500.