Rock, Paper, Scissors
Wally Dion and Matthew Shlian

Saturdays only: 1 to 5pm, May 9 – May 30, 2015
Or by appointment.

Opening: Saturday May 9, 1 to 5pm

Rock, Paper, Scissors features Wally Dion from Binghamton, New York and Matthew Shlian from Ann Arbor, Michigan.  Dion’s works on paper, taken from the current series Polygon, reference his interest in scientific methodologies. Similar to measuring the rings of a bisected tree or drilling into ice cores, Dion uses many layers of paper to visually interpret and color-code their internal structure and history. He weaves opposing colors into sympathetic yet complex relationships. Shlian’s work is rooted in print media, book arts and commercial design. He uses his engineering skills to create kinetic sculptures that have led to collaborations with scientists to explore paper-folding structures on the macro level translated to the nano-scale. His work in this exhibition has been selected from the Process and the Apophenia series. Both artists find inspiration in scientific inquiry and interpret this artistically. In Rock, Paper, Scissors, each artist begins with a system of layering or folding but ultimately lets the materials and the imagination take over.

Left image: Wally Dion, Concentric Green
12 x 12”, colored paper, 2014

Wally Dion, born in Saskatoon, lives and works in Binghamton, New York. He is a member of Yellow Quill First Nation (Salteaux). He has an MFA from Rhode Island School of Design. Recent solo and group exhibitions include Ottawa Art Gallery (Ottawa), MASS MOCA (North Adams, Massachusetts), National Museum of the American Indian (New York), and Plug In Institute of Contemporary Art (Winnipeg).  Collections include the Canadian Museum of Civilization, the Canada Council Art Bank, the Saskatchewan Arts Board and Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada.

Matthew Shlian lives and works in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He has an MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art. He is the founder of the Initiative Artist Studio. Recent exhibitions include Cooper Union (New York), Michael Warren Contemporary (Denver, CO), SCIN Gallery (London, UK) and CES Contemporary (Los Angeles). He has lectured extensively, collaborated with and received commissions from Apple, Facebook, Ghostly International and the National Science Foundation, among others. Collections include The Drawing Centre, Art Institute of Chicago, University of Michigan and The Frankel Collection.

List of Works: Download