By Bill Arning
"... Earlier this year, Rebecca Camacho Gallery mounted a much-discussed group exhibition titled “Assistants” that was a meditation on creative lineage and the tradition of artists learning by working for other artists. Gilbert was employed by the late Tony Feher, whose own sculptures often initially appeared to be “nothing” – rows of empty soda bottles topped by marbles, jars filled with colored water, or nearly invisible accumulations of humble materials. While their work diverged radically, both artists understood that making viewers work to locate the art can ultimately deepen the experience.
Feher and Gilbert also share a profound belief that artwork is always a collaboration with moving light. The largest work greeting viewers in Gilbert’s current exhibition is titled Stationery, like the show itself. The title’s pun operates visually and verbally. The photograph depicts a sheet of writing paper – stationery with an E – recreated by the artist, bordered with curling ivy and overlaid with a nearly invisible castle drawing. Two enormous windows dominate the composition. Daylight is never stationary until it is photographed..."
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