FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Ingrid Ludt to Exhibit Playful Paintings Drawn from Nature in Beyond Matter, a Solo Exhibition at Bromfield Gallery

BOSTON, MA–Beyond Matter, Ingrid Ludt’s first solo exhibition in Boston, consists of paintings that abstract bits and pieces of the universe to liberate them from the burden of representation. Colors and forms drawn from nature are transformed into play pieces in elaborate studio games. The exhibition will be open from September 1 to 26, 2021, with an opening reception on Friday, September 3 from 6-8:30 pm at Bromfield Gallery.

The compositions are drawn from pieces of bark, shell, and other natural ephemera and then carefully arranged to respond to the rectangle of the canvas. The patterns and geometries of nature’s fragments are pared down and rendered on the canvas. In some cases, the universe can be found within a single fragment; in others, the pieces are assembled in order to unlock some kind of secret.

The colors, on the other hand, are chosen through randomness and games: picking among crumpled swatches, assigning colors to dice, and drawing Tarot cards. Ludt is inspired by the irreverent anarchism of the Dadaists in the early 20th Century, who worked amid war and disease not unlike the 21st Century. Ludt’s response, like the Dadaists before her, is to bring playfulness and chance to the foreground. The lightness and pleasure of the process is palpable in the paintings, where the shapes radiate the colors that they’ve been assigned.

This is the serious business of play: to expel the inner critic, invigorate an artistic practice, counteract the harsh realities of the day, and connect with the universe. It is this act of discovery, by both Ludt and the viewer through the paintings, that connects us to something larger, Beyond Matter.

About the Artist
Ingrid Ludt was born in Auburn, New York in 1970. She draws forms and colors from natural fragments like bark or shells, which are then transformed into bold, abstract paintings. Solo exhibitions of her work have been exhibited in New York, New Orleans, and Massachusetts. She has also been included in group exhibitions at the Kingston Gallery (Boston, MA), the University Art Museum at SUNY Albany (Albany, NY), the Atlantic Center for the Arts (New Smyrna Beach, FL), James Cohan Gallery (New York, NY) and Claire Oliver Gallery (New York, NY). Ludt is a three-time recipient of the SOS Stipend grant from the New York Foundation for the Arts and a fellowship from the Atlantic Center for the Arts (New Smyrna Beach, FL). She has been a resident at the Viewing Program at The Drawing Center (New York, NY), the Dorland Mountain Arts Colony (Temecula, CA), and the Foundry for Art, Design, and Culture (Cohoes, NY).
Ludt lives and works in Sherborn, MA.

For more information: https://www.ingridludt.com/

About the Gallery
Founded in 1975, Bromfield Gallery is one of Boston's premier artist-run galleries. With an emphasis on New England artists, Bromfield shows contemporary art in all media, including printmaking, sculpture, painting, and drawing, as well as video, installation, and new media. The gallery is located in Boston's SOWA district in the South End.

For more information: https://www.bromfieldgallery.com/

Exhibition
Beyond Matter, a solo exhibition by Ingrid Ludt Bromfield Gallery
September 1 - 26, 2021

Opening Reception
Friday, September 3, 2021 from 6-8:30 pm

Gallery Hours
Wednesday-Sunday, 12-5 pm

Press Contact
Gary Duehr
gduehr@comcast.net