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'Continuum' makes it worth taking time to find art space

Studio 2 Gallery's current exhibit will make you think.

By Michael Barnes
AMERICAN-STATESMAN ARTS CRITIC
Sunday, July 28, 2002

Although Studio 2 Gallery, a razor-sharp art shop on South Lamar Boulevard, opened in April, its limited hours frustrated several attempts to visit. Little did we know how much we were missing. Stained concrete floors and white-white walls rise to a corrugated aluminum hood, which makes the light dance around the petite gallery and attendant open studios.

The current exhibit, "Continuum," is hung with utmost grace and economy. Tina Wietz's hand-manipulated Polaroid prints wrinkle kitchen scenes and antique settings with nostalgic curls and waggles. Debra Sugerman's grainy black-and-white prints of leaves, landscapes and costumed figures seem to recede from the viewer, suggesting emotional or chronological distance. Marc Silva's studies of flexed hands -- fleshly or statuary -- combine science, spirituality and studied oil technique. Jacqueline May's abstractions reflect the patterns of the weathered tin on which she paints. Jill Alo's small paintings lure the viewer into the intimated vastness of the night sky.

Most gallery shows do not make you think. This one pricks the consciousness regarding time, space, decay and perception. Take the time to find the South Austin strip mall that holds this gem.

"Continuum" continues through Aug. 31, Thursdays-Fridays, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturdays, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. at 1700 S. Lamar Blvd., 448-2622.