Helen Altman
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HELEN ALTMAN TRAILHEAD WOMEN & THEIR WORK jAN UARY 13 - FEBRUARY 17, 2001 AUSTIN, TEXA S HELEN ALTMAN'S TRi-VLHEiill Lilze tl1e stage settings in an elementary school Thanlzsgiving pagean-t, Helen Altman's show, Trai/lzead, is clearly divided into scenery and actors. On the walls, quilted hangings catalog various natural environments; on tl1e gallery floor, droopy falze birch trees extend tl1e forest image in-to three dimensional space. These elements set the stage for the tragicomic turbey hunting scene in which tl1e timicl Pilgrim and the bumbling Tom Turkey perform a forest lJallet. Glossing over just exactly how -tl1e live -turlzey in tl1e woods becomes -the roasted turlzey on -the dinner table, the scene retains the spice of a l1idden darlz side -to the story. Trail/1ead mixes tl1e fun and anx:iety of a fairytale forest. A classic story prop, the cuclwo clock, is the focus of the Target, (detail) 2000. show's an.-xiety. The regular ticb-toclz of Turlwy targel, bircb trees, 32" x 26" x 26". its pendulum is a cons-tant reminder of -time passing. The fran-tic, silly cry of burden of heavy ideas abou-t incuba-tion, Falze nature is a constant theme tl1e cuclwo as i-t pops ou-t of its l1idden protection, nurturing, and sacrifice. in Altman's work. Her well-lmown door is frightening, -tl1en funny: an Seed Skulls from 1996 was a series of sculptures made from artificial fire abrupt explosion of absurdity. AJJsurd life-sized human slmlls molded from place logs contain simple mechanisms falzery is everywhere. A foam turkey, birdseed and hung outdoors for hungry of rotating foil and orange ligl1tbu!bs branchless birch logs and inlzjet printed birds to pich clean. In anotber early that create a realistic flamelike effect, collages re-crea-te elemen-ts of a natural worb entitled Snow .Head, a snowman's outdoorsy ancl homey at the same environment on a realistic scale, but severed head lies preserved at -the boHom time. Sl1e uses similar logs to create wi-thout fooling anybody. The obvious of an old cbest freezer wearing a patient tl1e leafless birch trees, loitering ness of the falzery adds to the sideshow smile as it slowly shrinbs away -to no-thing. around the gallery in Traiflzead. Al)out pathos of tl1e drama. In Plwenix a frozen turbey waits nabed tl1e size of human figures, the trees in a pan, thawing on the shelf of an bend and sway unsteadily on riclzety Lilze tl1e pieces in Trailhead, many of open refrigerator, as if grandma just legs Jil~e skid-row Christmas trees in Altman's worlzs are blaclz comedies stepped out, leaving the door open. As January. Among these ersatz trees witl1 a wry self-deprecating humor. in this show, low-tecll manufacture and wanders an equally fabe turl~ey, a Altman's pieces seem -to be pobng fun holzey illusionism adcl pathos. ready-made archery target, proudly at themselves, even as they carry the puffing up his feathers and fanning his tail in full display, just aching to be shot. environments. In Ocean Blanket, a tan desert camouflage. The image If the goal were simple accuracy, the idea photograph of stormy whitecaps is of the gingerbread house in the darl< of mal<ing a practice target resembling held securely in the bacl<ground by a forest is inescapable, given the a turbey would be irrational; a simple heavy vertical bar of gray-green fabric, Germanic associations of fairytales set of concentric circles would do. Here as if seen through a window or from and cuclwo clocks. however the main concern is emotional the decl< of a ship. j\lf.arsl1 Blanket is satisfaction-a re-creation of the hunt lonely and sparse; few thin stall<s of The fal<e trees are bare, the still marsh that any Neolithic cave artist would reeds barely scratch the unbrol<en is empty, and the ocean is wild and cold. have fully understood. Altman has surface of the water. Each reed is Tbe tiny birdhouse stands alone against always used familiar materials, as reflected exactly in the still water of an idyllic blue sby as a sanctuary, a metapl10rs for larger ideas, mabng the the marsb, framed by equally neutral symbol of hope. The viewer is placed in commonplace seem strange with a swatches of beige and dull olive fabric. the forest with the turkey, appropriately Surrealist flair and for exposing webs A patch of desert camouflage in the titled Target, cast as another potential of unconscious, irrational associations, upper rigbt hints at a distant, forested victim wandering in the woods as time which inhabit our dreams. In this shoreline. In both Ocean Blanket and ticl~s by, waiting for the cuckoo's show, she juxtaposes packing blanl~ets, Marsh Blanket, the illusionistic space eruption. The pacl<ing blanl~ets form fireplace logs, and a cucl<oo clocl< of the photographs is sharply denied a padded cell with walls of quilted to evol<e a wl10le complex of related by the sculptural presence of the heavily fabric through whicb can be glimpsed images revolving arouncl domesticity textured and unframed blanl<et banging the bleal~ forest, ocean, and marsh. and outdoors, two themes constantly from tlw gallery wall, making it seem Nothing bad has happened yet-the reccuring in Altman's worl<. The as if one is loobing through the blanl~et, Target is still unscathed, but the camouflage-patterned fabrics suggest as througb a rippled window pane, at cuckoo clock is ticking. hunting in the temperate, southeastern sometbing outside. Perceived tluough woodlands where Altman grew up: the the mediation of photography and the familiar bacl<yard wilderness, the site stylization of camouflage, the imagery Bill Davenport, of weel<end recreation and childhood of trees, forests, and marsh, evol<es a Artist and Writer, Houston, Texas adventure rather than an exotic rain nostalgic yearning for a natural world January 2001 forest or the Canadian Rocl<ies. The from which we feel estranged. blanl<et piece which gives its title to the show, Trailhead, invites one to Two tiny birdhouses stand apart and wall< forward into the picture space above the arena of nature created by by showing the beginning of a wood tbe otber worbs in the show. These land pathway: a vertical bar of deep tiny houses symbolize safety, the green camoutlage fabric stands libe a archetypal woodcutter's cottage deep tree trunb in the foreground. Beyond in the forest, wbicb one bopes to find it, across an inviting carpet of pinl~ after being lost. Each birdbouse is and white flowers, looms a panorama placed high on the wall, overlool<ing of misty gray forest. Wbat we may find the forest scene created by tbe blanl<ets in that forest is hidclen, enticing us and trees. Atop the cuckoo clocl< stands with the allure of mystery. an alert robin, tail cocked as if listening, and refereeing the drama below. In the Lil<e Trai//1ead, Altman's other blanl~et quilt Patch of Blue a distant birdhouse pieces provide distant views of natural stands silhouetted against a "si<y" of HELEN ALTMAN Born in Tuscaloosa, Alubamn Lives in Forlh \\:"forth, Texas EDUCATION 1989 M.F.A., University of Nortb Texas, Denton, Texas 1986 M.A., University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama 1981 B.F.A., University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama SOLO EXHIBITIONS 2000 Trailbeacl, Women & Their Work Austin, TX 1999 Ever Green, Jolm Micbael Kobler Arts Center, Sheboygan, WI Running Rabbit, Barry Wbistler Gallery, Dallas, TX 1998 Nature Depictecl, Hiram Butler Gallery, Houston, TX 1997 Just Ahead, Museum of Southeast Texas, Beaumont, TX; traveled to Galveston Arts Center 1995 Axl~, Barry Whistler Gallery, Dallas, TX Out of the Woods, Hiram Butler Gallery, Houston, TX .. ;.~ i. •pll .. 1 ro~.hr r.- .)o . f 4 ~~ .- • "' • I(ig 1992 Burning Down tl1e House, Hiram Butler Gallery, Houston, TX; Barry Wbistler Native State, (detail) 2000. Gallery, Dallas, TX Inkjet on canvas, quilteLI fabric, 79" x 72" Watching Pots, Ida Green Gallery, Austin College, Sherman, TX 1998 ARS BOTr\J"'ICA, Ida Green Gallery, 1993 Texas: Between Two \Vorlds, Austin College, Sherman, TX Contemporary Arts Museum, I Iouston, TX; traveled to Modern Art Museum of GRANTS AND AWARDS Visions, Barry Whistler Gallery, Dallas, TX 1999 Otis and Velma David Dozier Travel Grant, Fort \'<h·tb, TX; Art Museum of South Texas, Corpus Christi, TX Dallas l'-1luseum of Art 1997 Serial Imagery, Barry Wl1istler Gallery, Dallas, TX 1993 National Endowment for the Arts, SELECTED BIBLIOGRJ\PHY Surface Tensions, Blue Star Art Space, Mid-American Arts Alliance 2000 Goad, Kimberly. "Emerging Artists," Arts San Antonio, TX & Antiques, Feb, p. 1991 Engelhard Award, The Institue of 52. Schemata: Drawings by Sculptors, Tbe 1<)99 Tyson, Janet. "Helen Altman, Matthew Contmeporary Art, Boston, JV!A Glassell School of Art, Houston, TX Sontheimer, and Liz Ward." Art News, Feb. Transformers: A Moving Experience, SELECTED EXHIBITIONS 1996 Rees, Christina. "Post Time." Dallas Observer, Nov Auckland Art Gallery, Auckland, New 2000 Natural Deceits, Modern Art Museum of 11-17, p. 77. Fort Worth, Fort Wortb, TX Zealand; Hiram Butler Gallery, I Iouston, TX Texas Draws. Exbibition catalogue. Houston: 1995 The Home S!ww, University of San Burn It! Next Text, Arlington Museum of Contemporary r\rts Museum. u Antonio Art Gallery, TX Art, Arlington, TX Al~htar, Suzanne. Bin! W.tcl1ing. Fort Wort/1 Star Das Pop, Donna Beam Fine Art Gallery, Telegram, Jan 31. futistic Centers in Texas: Dallas/Fort University of Nevada, Las Vegas; traveled to Wortb, The Texas Fine Arts Association, Museum of Agenda am! Transgression 1997 Colpitt, Frances.