Sine Nomine
by Linda Kent

January 15th – 26th
Opening: January 19th, 6pm – 8pm

The title refers to renaissance musical settings of the Catholic mass. Most mass settings were based upon a Gregorian chant as an organizing principle. Some composers rejected the idea of using a pre-existing chant and made up their own. These were called Missa Sine nomine; mass with no name.

Working between abstraction and representation, the artist constructs small unrecognizable objects which are then used as subjects for paintings. These objects are ‘sine nomine’, without a name and become points of focus. By painting them in the traditional ways of oil, pigment and wax on canvas/wood, there is a link with the renaissance world and yet the subject matter is taken clearly from the present.

The large works are made from old telephone directories; an analog text in our digital world. They are literally ‘without name’, as the names have been separated from the numbers. The remaining numbers create a sense of overwhelming data and distraction when viewed closely, and a sense of quiet and calm when seen from a distance.

The artist is interested in focused moments in a distracted world.