The Tusen Takk Foundation presents Debra Salopek: Fallen Pieces of the Moon, an exhibition of woodcut prints by Salopek created during her winter 2022 residency. On view at Commongrounds, the exhibition takes its title from a passage in author Barry Lopez’s book Arctic Dreams in which he refers to Arctic icebergs as “fallen pieces of the moon.” Borrowing this metaphor, Salopek offers her own poetic interpretations of icebergs here on our Great Lakes.
Coming to Michigan from the Southwest, Salopek was instantly fascinated by icebergs on the Lake Michigan shoreline during the coldest winter months. Her residency project was inspired by these ice formations, as well as artists’ depictions of icebergs throughout art history, from Frederic Edwin Church’s The Icebergs, 1861 to the Inuit print collection at the nearby Dennos Museum. A print by Lucy Meeko from the Dennos collection had a significant impact on Salopek’s concept, sparking an interest in depicting iceberg forms in a nonrepresentational manner and in using woodcuts as her medium.
Salopek’s process continued to evolve during her residency, as she experimented with using subtle bisecting lines to suggest a mirrored image and printing the icebergs in dark hues. The deep black tones not only provide a striking contrast but also reference our planet’s disappearing glaciers and shrinking ice sheets. And yet, the works are ultimately more concerned with formal elements than with what they represent. With shapes open to interpretation, Salopek’s graphic and visually captivating images embody the poetics of mystery as much as the nature of icebergs themselves.
Learn more about the artist’s process here on our News Blog →
ARTIST BIO
Born in California, raised in Mexico, Debra Salopek grew up bilingual, straddling 2 cultures. She received her BFA from the University of New Mexico in printmaking and drawing, has traveled and lived abroad for several years and makes the American Southwest her primary home. Debra worked as a fine art printmaker in Los Angeles, CA collaborating with artists such as Alex Katz, Robert Mangold, Silvia Plimack Mangold, Robert Therrien and others, before dedicating full time to her studio with a focus on painting and work on paper. She has exhibited nationally with work in corporate collections and museums; she is currently represented by the William Havu Gallery in Denver, CO, and the Kiechel Fine Art Gallery, in Lincoln, NE.
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