Dawn Roe
Tracey Morgan Gallery is pleased to present Super | Natural, a solo exhibition by Dawn Roe. This marks Roe’s third exhibition with the gallery and brings together works spanning almost five years of activity from the artist’s indefinitely ongoing series, DESCENT ≈ An Atlas of Relation, a collective archive of earth, plant, and animal forms living and dying together across both great and small distances. Occupying the liminal space(s) of water-based worlds permanently re-shaped by extractive actions and colonial forms of “species management,” the many Beings gestating within and along these waters endure ongoing disruptions, forever altering how these spaces have and continue to function as home, and community.
Roe questions our understanding and use of the terms “nature” and “natural,” while embracing spectral associations of the haunted and the ghostly. As with past projects she draws our attention to magical aspects of the elemental, the often hidden, or the overlooked. References to and from feminist theory, literature, and folklore circulate throughout the varied print and video forms. Her ongoing investigations into camera-less methods continue to probe the possibilities of representation for more-than-human voices. Multiple photosensitive materials and processes are deployed including direct animation of riparian vegetation on Super 8 film; derelict fishing gear (also known as ghost net) on X-ray negatives referencing emergent forms within the latent image; and digital still and moving image composites merging temporal and visual scales of fish and fish habitats.
Accompanying the exhibition will be a print-on-demand zine with text contributions by feminist environmental humanities scholar, Dr. Astrida Neimanis. The subtitle for the zine (and title for a related work), we only see by the water in our eyes, comes from a moment on the Multispecies Worldbuilding podcast where curator Sarah Lookofsky spoke with poet and artist Cecilia Vicuña about a beautiful phrase she had written – that “the reason we see is because of the water in our eyes” – such a perfect and sort of haunting notion, leading to thoughts not only of our sight as human being(s)/bodies, but the fascinating eyes of other sighted creatures. In the spirit of reciprocity modeled by contributor Astrida Neimanis, as well as the many other people and organizations Roe has come to know through her ongoing work on this project, 50% of any artist proceeds from works sold will be donated to underfunded land and water advocacy groups throughout Western North Carolina.
Roe was born and raised amidst what are now known as the Great Lakes where she developed a long term interest in land/water relations between human and more-than-human communities. With recognition of her response-abilities as a white woman from settler ancestry, Roe approaches land and water tentatively, as an uninvited guest.
Roe received a BFA from Marylhurst University and an MFA from Illinois State University. She divides her time between Asheville, North Carolina and Winter Park, Florida where she serves as Professor of Art at Rollins College. She is the recipient of the Urbanautica Institute Awards; LensCulture Critics Choice Awards; and a United Arts of Central Florida Artist Grant, she has been invited to numerous artist residencies including the International Changing Climate Residency at the Santa Fe Art Institute (NM); Playa Art & Science Residency (OR); Huron Mountain Wildlife Foundation (MI); The Banff Centre (Canada); The Hambidge Center for the Creative Arts & Sciences (GA); and the Visual Arts Centre at LaTrobe University (Australia). Her work has been widely exhibited and screened throughout the U.S. and internationally at venues including The Lightner Museum (FL); GroundWork Gallery (U.K.); The Frost Art Museum (FL); ISU University Galleries (IL); Screen Space Gallery, (Australia); The Perth Centre for Photography (Australia); and Off the Screen for the Ann Arbor Film Festival (MI).