Roberts Projects is pleased to present The Edge of Blue featuring contributions from Amoako Boafo, Lenz Geerk, James Hayward, Ruth Ige, Betye Saar, and Beatrice Wood.
Illustrating the poetic depths of the color blue, the works on view use restricted palettes to explore emotional, psychological themes. They point us to reflect on how the same stories can be told in different ways, and that new stories need to be told in as many ways as possible. Varying blue shades set the terms of each piece, from the energetic Prussian blue brushstrokes that accentuate Amoako Boafo’s assertive self-portrait, James Hayward’s monochromatic cerulean thickly applied by the tubefull, or Betye Saar’s superlative blue assemblage. Ruth Ige’s calm, atmospheric painting emphasizes the ephemerality of light, with a seated figure immovable against a landscape of water and sky, while Lenz Geerk’s portrait of a young treesitter sees them gently perched against an endless turquoise firmament; the crackling of his robins egg suit echoes the luster of the Beatrice Wood glazed ceramic vessel in ultramarine.