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 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 to unlock some secret.
On the other hand, the colors 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 are 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. This act of discovery, by both Ludt and the viewer through the paintings, connects us to something larger, Beyond Matter.
Ingrid Ludt was born in Auburn, New York, in 1970. She draws forms and colors from natural fragments like bark or shells, 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.