Some of us have to be naked, so the rest can be exempted by fate.

Sheila Heti, How Should a Person Be?

Home to both sinew and synapse, Muscle Memory is a group exhibition featuring the work of recent MFA graduates from the University of Connecticut. Featuring the work by Jeanne Ciravolo, Melanie Klimjack, Luke Seward, and River Soma. This exhibition animates our studies of the body as performed through collection, accumulation, gesture and assemblage. By means of painting , sculpture, and video, each artist extends their approach, arriving at a delivery that is both in and of the body. Whether the work is standing on two feet, hanging by its own weight, or emitting a soft glow, its presence materializes tender gestures.

Jeanne Ciravolo is showing a series of figurative paintings that cover the themes of sexuality, abuse, shame and exploration of the boundaries of the body. Her work has been exhibited at the Butler Institute of American Art; the National Arts Club; the New Britain Museum of American Art; ODETTA, Brooklyn. In the permanent collection such as the Benton Museum of Art and Connecticut Appellate court. This spring Jeanne was awarded the Joan and George Cole MFA Award and a residency fellowship from the Anderson Center in Redwing, MN.

Melanie Klimjack is showing two paper works that experiment with materiality and pushing their physical boundaries. Through layering of paints and liquids the artist is able to create shell like sculptures that are roughly pinned to the wall, yet through the details and cracks the frailty of the material is being explored. Klimjack has shown at Burchfield Penney Art Center, NY; Rogue Gallery, NY

Luke Seward is a video artist implementing aerial perspective to enhance expressions of subtle gesture. Exploring the materiality of a sculpture within the plane of the screen, by physically interrupting and re-interpreting the setting. Seward has exhibited at ODETTA, Brooklyn; SU gallery, CT; Gilberto Gallery Space, KY; Artspace, KY, and in such permanent collections as University of Connecticut, University of Louisville. River Soma’s works are a combination of ceramic, foam and found material to create these otherworldly forms that possess striking characteristics. The sculptures are a balance between opposing forces from the bold to the delicate; the grotesque to beauty; life to decay. Soma’s work has been shown at the William Benton Museum of Art, CT; ODETTA, NY; and Queens Museum, NY.