Imprint of Place

Artists

• Iván Carmona
• Liz Robb

Statement

PDX CONTEMPORARY ART presents a two-person exhibition of work by Iván Carmona and Liz Robb. Deeply tied to place, each of the artists’ work draws from their experiences with, and interpretations of, the natural environment. Through their work, both artists think about the body and how their individual approaches and experiences shape the specific landscapes from which they draw reference.

Iván Carmona is an artist based in Portland, Oregon. Originally from Puerto Rico, Carmona’s vibrant ceramic sculptures draw from the landscape and rich vegetation he was surrounded by for most of his life. While primarily based on nostalgia and deep ties to place, these sculptures also nod toward the work of the abstract expressionists and the artist’s love for the work of Alexander Calder.

When paired and observed in groups, these vidid gestures resemble the topography of his native land, combining together the sky, flora, fauna and earth, to reimagine the landscape.

Liz Robb’s work happens through the lens of various geographic locations where she has been an artist-in-residence, most recently spending time in the Mojave, Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts. Mainly working with traditional craft materials, Robb uses fiber and ceramic to create dynamic sculptures that reflect her interactions with the landscape. Extensive explorations with material yield thoughtful works that are distinctive to the places in which they are made— often times even utilizing earth pigments of the various regions.