Julie Wolfe at Green Room

HEMPHILL Fine Arts is pleased to announce the project, Julie Wolfe: Green Room opening on Friday September 11, 2015 at 1700 L Street NW from 6:00 - 8:00 pm, ongoing through December 31, 2015.

Oxygen paired with two hydrogen atoms forms the most basic molecular source of life—water. Water functions as a pivotal component in the foundation of all things living, while simultaneously serving as an agent of death. As natural beings composed of 70% water, humans need water to survive, yet on a daily basis we aid in the depletion of pure water sources through pollution—toxic waste, oil spills, and chemical emissions. An increasing awareness of human impact on the ecosystems in our environment has propelled artists to enter into the dialogue of environmental science, philosophy, and biotechnology. Artists are beginning to assume the role of the scientist and aim to evoke a deeper reflection and participation in the environmental issues and biological topics at hand. Since her last exhibition, Rewilding, in 2013, Julie Wolfe has been delving deeper into the study of the connectedness between humans and their effect on water and how Nature is constantly and delicately balancing itself—continually evolving in reaction to our impact. Conducting research and scientific experiments of her own, Wolfe has unveiled a beautiful spectrum of colors that document Nature’s reaction to the vast and endless hydro-permutations caused by organic and chemical elements that are released into Earths water sources. Green Room is Wolfe’s presentation of her scientific findings, showcasing a collection of connected vessels filled with water taken from local and national waterways that are then exposed to an array of plant and animal extractions, biological stains, and industrial chemicals. Many of these vessels will be connected with intricate tubing and apparatuses, allowing them to share a common environment. While each vessel serves as its own case and experiment, the connectedness between them emphasizes that we are not only connected with our local ecosystems, but also with ecosystems globally. For example, Wolfe has filled some vessels with water from Rock Creek in Washington DC, and some with melted snow from the streets of New York City. Green Room serves as a living laboratory that traces the various stages of growth and decomposition—constantly changing and evolving throughout time—raising the question of 'How will Nature react and evolve to our impact over the upcoming decades and centuries?' and how this one simple molecular compound—water—connects us to the broader and more complex being that is Nature. Julie Wolfe received a BFA in Painting and Art History from The University of Texas, Austin, TX. She has exhibited at the Corcoran Gallery of Art and the Textile Museum, among others, and currently resides in Washington DC. Green Room will serve as an anchor for an installation Wolfe will construct later this year at the Kunstraum Tapir Lab in Friedrichshain, Berlin, Germany—Green Room 11. This project is supported by The Lenkin Company. VIEWING HOURS: 24/7 from the street.

For more information contact Caitlin Berry at HEMPHILL Fine Arts at 202.234.5601 or caitlin@hemphillfinearts.com