Frameworks: Paintings by Dragana Crnjak, Andrea Joki and Matthew Kolodziej

Dragana Crnjak (Youngstown), Andrea Joki (Cleveland) and Matthew Kolodziej (Akron) each approach painting as a process of inquiry into the way we understand time and space. The artists are particularly interested in the concept of time being fluid rather than linear. That fluidity is easily illustrated in our digital age—time can be visually compressed, drawn-out and even layered. Interwoven into that equation is how memory becomes clouded or fragmented over time. Each artist deploys different processes to conduct their explorations. Kolodziej photographs construction and demolition sites, which he digitally collages and then translates into line drawings that form the basis of his paintings. He is particularly interested in how the relentless speed at which we take in images and information affects our way of seeing and our sense of place. Crnjak also believes paintings are an important foil against our addiction to moving images. She distorts and fragments images of textile patterns, often enshrouding them in a wash of color. She then layers crisp, brightly colored lines that expand in multiple dimensions throughout her compositions. Her fragmented, layered images only fully unfold upon close looking—a practice that requires slowing down. Joki shifts from painting in loose, spontaneous brushstrokes to applying precise hard-edge lines, often combining both in one composition. Her intuitive process melds memories of people, place and sensory experiences. Joki seeks to discover the limits of what a painting can communicate about the world’s interconnectedness—bound, she asserts, by our humanness. Maps or keys to places that exist somewhere in between the physical, digital and psychic realms, the three artists’ paintings are fascinating to explore yet impossible to know. Frameworks: Paintings by Dragana Crnjak, Andrea Joki and Matthew Kolodziej is organized by the Akron Art Museum with support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Ohio Arts Council.   Related Links: [ Anderson Turner, "Art Review: ‘Frameworks’ highlights three regional artists," Akron Beacon Journal ]