BETH REITMEYER
Website
CV
Nashville, TN | Painting, Sculpture, Printmaking, Sound, Installation
Bio:
Beth Reitmeyer is a visual artist based in Nashville, TN. Her current installations are based upon landscape topography and geology, specifically sinkholes, caves, geodes, and rocks. Her work investigates how experiencing the glories of a place impact our sense of being, perception, and relationships with other people. Beth's work has recently been exhibited at the Frist Art Museum, Nashville; OZ Arts, Nashville; The Elizabeth Foundation, New York; Seed Space, Nashville; Zg Gallery, Chicago; Ground Floor Gallery, Brooklyn; BOX13 ArtSpace, Houston; goldenPARACHUTES, Berlin. Recently Beth was an artist-in-residence at The Studios at MASS MoCA, North Adams, MA and The Ragdale Foundation, Lake Forest, IL.
Statement:
We go through life, looking for hope and love, finding it in expected and unexpected places. Beth's artwork strives to be physical manifestation of the cherished yet unseen parts of our relationships: hopes, dreams, wishes, loss, and love. It seeks to foster relationships between people who may or may not otherwise meet, allowing them to spend time making memories and building friendships in specific places of one’s life.
Currently Beth is creating a series of places based upon landscapes: investigating rivers, caves, geodes, stars, and the moon. The work examines the joy of unexpected yet beautiful spaces and places that may be discovered as one explores the land and structures within it. Comprised of rich materials and light that invite viewers to explore, the work is inspired by architecture, an exploration of structures and objects that may function independently of an arts venue, a playground of lighted, glimmering forms. These forms augment our knowledge of place and allow us to experience the place and each other in a different way, giving us a knowledge of the world at large by experiencing familiar places in new ways.
The artwork embraces radical optimism (everyone can find joy and hope) and indiscriminant hospitality (all are welcome to create and experience joy through sharing). Hopefully viewers will realize that people are like landscapes: we make assumptions about initial appearances, but through knowledge and experience, pleasant surprises abound as we gain a deeper knowledge of each other while in the land and through art.