Mustard plants, piñon pollen and hay bale twine twist, fall and blow across the canvases of the Taos Abstract Artist Collective.
“VIEWPOINT: Abstract Minimalism in Taos” runs through May 14 at the Encore Gallery at the Taos Center for the Arts.
The show features 20 works by 13 artists culled from 152 submissions, said Lauren Dana Smith, TAAC co-founder.
Curator Hilary Nelson identified a common thread within the work of the Taos-based artists.
“Minimalism is not a lot of everything, but it can be a lot of one thing,” she said. “You can get there fast or slow. It’s a removal of excess, everything located within the work itself. The material is itself.”
Former Taoseño Josh Tafoya created a high fashion garment using baling twine.
“He studied fashion design,” Smith said. “He recently had work in London’s Fashion Week.
“It’s an intersection in both his New Mexico heritage and craft and ancestry. He had a weaving grandmother and a ranching grandfather.”
Paula Verona worked on “Emergence,” a mixed-media concoction of slate, stainless steel and metallic paint from 1998 to 2022.
“She used this limited palette and commercial material,” Smith said.
Verona called the piece her homage to the minimalist pinstripe paintings of Frank Stella.
The non-binary artist C. Marquez created “1457” using native tall tumble mustard across a square canvas.
“It’s an Indigenous plant,” Smith said. “Their ethos is to use materials that are natural to leave as light a footprint as possible. They use all aspects of the plant.”
Dora Dillstone’s “Blowing in the Wind” consists of a sweep of piñon pollen driven by a breeze across canvas.
“A lot of her work is experiential,” Smith said. “It’s created from an action or experience. There’s a lightness to the quality of her work and they’re so minimal.”
The exhibition marks the collective’s first juried show since its inaugural showing in September 2022. Their monthly online TAAC TALKS build on their early momentum combining pre-recorded artist documentaries with live Zoom discussions.
