Sue Chenoweth – Predator and Prey (Curator, Producer)
Ted Decker Catalyst Space, Bragg’s Pie Factory, Phoenix, Arizona USA
February 6 – March 8, 2009
A high-water mark of Phoenix spring 2008 exhibitions was Sue Chenoweth – Predator and Prey. The exhibition, accompanied by a four-color catalog with an essay by Kathleen Vanesian, designed by Eddie Shea, and published by Sue Chenoweth, Ted Decker, and Catalyst Publications, showcased an exhilarating body of work made by the Phoenix artist during the previous three years.
In spite of the seemingly chaotic and experimental nature of her work, Chenoweth employs a strong foundation of art history, technical knowledge, and formal-gone-wild approach to making art. Each mark she makes is deliberately considered, instinctual, and functions as a reciprocal motion between the work and her. The compelling, elegantly abstracted, and at once exquisite and horrifying works created for Sue Chenoweth – Predator and Prey are described by Vanesian in her catalog essay as “unforgettable paintings (which) have baited and snared the savage beauty born in the ceaseless cycle of raw survival. (They examine) chaotic elements forged into the unbroken chain of sex, birth, and death.”
