Chalda Maloff

STATEMENT

In this exhibition, Maloff pairs a recent group of digital paintings with a series of aquatints executed in the 1980s. Markedly different in medium, scale and technique, both bodies of work embody the artist’s dedication to experiencing that which is ephemeral and singular. Additionally, both series exhibit an abiding spirit of buoyancy and sense of optimism. “Looking back at the aquatints from the perspective of my current self, I see a lot of similarities to my recent digital work—the compositions, the texture, the drama and the importance of lighting. Upon this realization, I decided I wanted to exhibit the two groups together.”

The selection of aquatints derive from Maloff’s love of drama and affinity for the human form in motion. The gestures of dance and the sensuality of textured fabrics billowing amongst columns of stage light summon the viewer to commune with the present.

Similarly, the artist’s digital paintings can be viewed as a kind of intimate theater composed of forms that float and glide, advance and recede. Diaphanous, luminous shapes interact with dissonant configurations and splatters, while natural forms and textures counter those with mechanical qualities. This pleasurable push-and-pull of aesthetic elements impart a profound appreciation of that which is transitory.

Maloff creates her digital paintings using a combination of freehand electronic tablet drawing and her developed complement of digital techniques. She employs no photographic process. “As a perennial student of Art History, I feel fortunate to have available to me both centuries-old print technologies, along with contemporary creative tools of which the Old Masters could have only dreamed. With this exhibit I hope to leave the viewer energized, and more deeply connected with the ephemeral present moment,” offers Maloff.

Maloff’s art has been exhibited widely throughout the US, as well as on four other continents. She has received awards from Butler Museum of American Art and VIII Salon de Arte Digital in Venezuela. Maloff earned a B.A. in Art History from the University of California at Berkeley, holds a doctorate in Human Ecology from the University of Texas, and studied Renaissance Art with Boston University in Florence, Italy. The artist lives and works in Austin, TX. To learn more about Maloff’s artwork, visit www.chalda.com.

Chalda Maloff
Austin, Texas, USA
cmaloff@medium-S.com
www.chalda.com