Heidi Spector 'When the Sun Comes Shining Through'

Heidi Spector When the Sun Comes Shining Through

Like Someone In Love, 2022, Liquitex with resin on panel, 40 x 60 x 2 inches Signed, titled, and dated on the verso

When the Sun Comes Shining Through

An Exhibition

by Heidi Spector

June 13th - July 13th, 2024

When Hearts Like Ours Meet, 2019, Liquitex with resin on rhombus panel, 30 x 30 x 2 inches Signed, titled, and dated on the verso

Spanierman Modern is pleased to announce its first solo exhibition of Heidi Spector’s joy-filled “geometrically minimalist” works.

Heidi Spector’s works succeed the lineage of Minimalism, the movement that sought to move away from representation in response to the introduction of photography in the twentieth century. Photography’s ability to capture an image as fact instead of painterly representation caused a crisis in painting, leading artists to reject the idea of art as an imitation of that which already exists and instead view it as an object that contains its own reality. Artists that participated in the movement looked to deconstruct art into its base elements of line, color, and shape in order to re-present it as a more truthful and simplified version of itself. The prioritization of the inherent qualities of art transformed art from a representation of the outside world into an object that exists in the physical world; the same world in which the viewer exists. This concept invites the viewer to consider the spatial relationship between themself and the object, thus making them an active participant in the physicality of the work as opposed to a passive bystander.

Spector’s pieces maintain the philosophies of the Minimalist movement through the focus on the essential elements that make up a composition such as line, repetition, color, and reflection. However, the inclusion of bold, bright, and lively colors is a drastic departure from the pillars of the movement. Spector refers to her canon of work as “Geometric Minimalism.” The paintings and sculptures are composed of candy-colored acrylic paint poured over Russian birch and coated with resin. The work is completed with a blowtorch to create the reflective, glassy surface. Spector is inspired by popular music: each work’s color palette creates a sense of vibration and can be seen as a response to the song from which she derives the piece’s title. Thus, her canon can be analyzed as an audio-visual playlist of her career. The works in When the Sun Comes Shining Through were inspired by a variety of artists including Ella Fitzgerald, Johnny Cash, Led Zeppelin, and Calvin Harris.

The influence of hard-edge painters such as Frank Stella can be seen in the precise lines, geometric opticality, and slick surfaces of the compositions. As the artist states, “Frank Stella’s iconic statement, ‘What You See Is What You See,’... inspired me to distance myself from painting emotionally. I simply wanted to put paint, color, resin, steel, and lines onto birch without any emotional context.” Although Spector avoids the explicit inclusion of emotional content within her works, there is an undeniable energy to which the viewer can connect. The lively colors pulse and vibrate together, infecting the viewer with an upbeat mood akin to that felt while dancing at a nightclub. The reflective surface invites the viewers' participation both literally and conceptually by their reflection on the work.

Heidi Spector was awarded an honorary doctorate of Civil Law, honoris causa, by Bishop’s University in 2023. Spector’s work has been the subject of numerous solo and group shows including exhibitions in Montreal, London, Paris, Los Angeles, Houston, Miami, and New York. Her work is included in corporate, private, and museum collections worldwide. She currently lives and works in Montreal, Canada.

This Is Where I Want To Be, 2022, Archival pigment ink on paper mounted on dibond, 47 x 47 inches

Edition of 5

Titled lower left

Signed, dated, and numbered lower right

To Believe in a Miracle I, 2024, Liquitex with resin on panel, 50 x 12 x 2 inches

Signed, titled, and dated on the verso

To Believe in a Miracle II, 2024, Liquitex with resin on panel, 50 x 12 x 2 inches

Signed, titled, and dated on the verso

Lady Love, 2024, Liquitex with resin on cube, 14 x 14 x 14 inches

Signed, titled, and dated on the bottom

The Dance Inside My Head, 2024, Liquitex with resin on panel, 55 x 55 x 4 1/2 inches Signed, titled, and dated on the verso

I Saw The Sun I, 2022, Liquitex with resin on panel, 50 x 4 x 4 inches

Signed, titled, and dated on the verso

You Are the Sunlight of My Growing, 2023, Liquitex with resin on rhombus panel, 34 1/2 x 102 1/4 x 2 inches

Signed, titled, and dated on the verso

FromtheInside, 2017, Liquitex with resin on cube, 14 x 14 x 14 inches Signed, titled, and dated on the bottom

titled, and dated

When the Sun Comes Shining Through, 2024, Polished mirrored stainless steel column, 95 1/2 x 18 x 12 inches Edition of 2 Signed,

That's The Way It Ought To Be, 2024, Liquitex with resin on equal-armed cross panel, 50 x 4 x 4 inches Signed, titled, and dated on the verso

Signed and dated on the bottom

White Cube, 2016, Liquitex with resin on cube, 7 x 7 x 7 inches

Dance To My Beat, 2022, Liquitex with resin on panel, 48 x 48 x 2 inches Signed, titled, and dated on the verso

Meant To Live In Clover, 2022, Liquitex with resin on column, 69 x 15 x 15 inches

Signed, titled, and dated on the bottom

How Do You Like Your Love I, 2022, Liquitex with resin on panel, 30 x 30 x 2 inches Signed, titled, and dated on the verso

How Do You Like Your Love II, 2022, Liquitex with resin on panel, 30 x 30 x 2 inches Signed, titled, and dated on the verso

How Do You Like Your Love III, 2022, Liquitex with resin on panel, 30 x 30 x 2 inches Signed, titled, and dated on the verso

Love Is OurResistance, 2022, Liquitex with resin on four panels, 30 x 30 x 2 inches

Each panel is signed, titled, and dated on the verso

Mr. Lover Man, 2017, Liquitex with resin on panel, 16 x 8 x 3 inches Signed, titled, and dated on the verso

Positive Space, 2015, Liquitex with resin on cube, 7 x 7 x 7 inches

Signed, titled, and dated on the bottom

She Says She Talks to Angels, 2013, Liquitex with resin on panel, 48 x 20 x 2 inches Signed, titled, and dated on the verso

To make an appointment, please contact the gallery at info@spaniermanmodern.com, or via telephone at 212-249-0619.

Please visit our website at www.spaniermanmodern.com to explore more of our collection.

Our gallery is located at 958 Madison Ave., 2nd floor, New York, NY, 10021. Gallery is open Tuesday-Saturday, 10-6.