Tender to the Touch

A solo exhibition by Kim Smith Claudel

Tender to the Touch suggests a time of softening, a time to be tender and also a time of feeling tender—sore, sensitive, bruised; and yet, still strong and resilient. This exhibition is a collection of recent works: tenuous sculptures on the verge of collapse, large ethereal paintings stretched bare on the walls like skins, compositions arranged with both intention and provisionality. Intersections between painting, sculpture, and installation create spaces of slowing, of noticing, and revelation. With objects and arrangements from a playful and open practice—one rooted in intuition and ritual—this show reveals an intimate glimpse into the creative process, one in which art can distill and reflect that which is outside of ourselves, that which connects us and also escapes our limits of language. These are constellations that embrace change—change as the thing we measure with time—confronting the natural tendency toward entropy, as we attempt to create order from spiraling disarray. By letting go of the need for the preciousness of the lasting art object, the work celebrates the fleeting, ephemeral moments that balance in fragile equilibrium.