Sharon Engelstein

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Sharon Engelstein: MY Cookie!

December 1, 2007 – February 22, 2008,
Opening Reception: SATURDAY, 6-8pm
MKG Art Management
2825 Colquitt, Houston, TX 77098

MKG Art Management, LLC, a Houston-based art-advising and appraising firm, presents a new show by Sharon Engelstein titled, MY COOKIE! The exhibit, guest curated by Judy Nyquist, will open to the public with a reception on Saturday, December 1, from 6-8 p.m. and will continue through February 22, 2008. Regular exhibition hours are Monday through Friday, from 9-5 p.m.

MY COOKIE! is Sharon Engelstein’s first solo exhibition since 2004 when she showed a body of handmade and painted ceramic sculpture which was a polar shift from her previous computer based work. Through her recent art-making processes, Engelstein continues to focus on the invention and interplay of bubbly, growing, wandering forms. Over time her work has changed radically in appearance; however, a common theme is the interplay of opposing elements: biomorphic and mechanical form, natural and cultural references, humor and refinement.

In Engelstein’s newest work, her highly crafted objects exaggerate the ceramic tradition to absurdity. Humor and whimsy give access to the work. With vases that leak and cookie jars that are too cumbersome to manage, the viewer/user is forced into awkward interactions or puzzling inquiries. Are these sculptures or house wares? Is this art or craft? Do they fail as functional objects or are they intentionally ambiguous? The ceramic vessels, filled with delicious looking cookies, conjure another anxious pairing – when does comfort become indulgence? In MY COOKIE! Engelstein raises these questions and offers a framework for understanding them.

Sharon Engelstein graduated from Claremont Graduate School in California with an MFA in sculpture and came to Houston in 1990 for a Core Residency at the Glassell School. She received the Louis Comfort Tiffany Award in 1995, in 2002 participated in Art Pace in San Antonio, and received artist awards from the Canada Council, National Endowment for the Arts, and Cultural Arts Council of Houston Harris County. Solo exhibitions include Texas Gallery, Houston; Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston; Glassell School of Art, Houston; Locust Projects, Miami; Elias Fine Art, Boston; Gregory Lind Gallery, San Francisco, and The Suburban, Chicago as well as group shows around the country. Sharon has taught at University of Houston and the University of Texas at Austin and has lectured extensively around the country. She is currently working on a light rail station design for Houston METRO and is developing a new body of work based on converging interests in functional design and art.

Underwritten by MKG Art Management, LLC. MKG Art Management, LLC, offers expert advice to private, corporate, and institutional clients. Client services include art acquisition and divestment, accredited art appraisals, art collection management, art leases, curatorial services, art education programs, and publication management and editing.

For more information please contact Kelly Ulcak at 713-526-4146 ext. 12 or email kmu@mkgart.com