Unfamiliaring

Hillary Chartrand

Unfamiliaring

February 14 - March 22, 2003 

Opening Reception: Friday, Febraury 14, 2003, 6:00 – 8:00pm

Using a predetermined system to develop her own visual language, Hilary Chartrand draws her inspiration from mundane and ephemeral materials such as envelopes, mailing labels and registration tabs found on product boxes.  Working within the basic principles of art and design, Chartrand abstracts these existing materials, altering the size, color relationships, and figure/ground relationships.  Open to interpretation, Chartrand’s work references a wide-range of cultural associations: architecture, futuristic space modules, 60’s design, and a neutralized and absent zone normally reserved for “important” product information.  Utilizing a variety of materials and processes, Chartrand’s subtle works have resulted in installations, paper sculptures, screen prints, intaglio, bookmaking, xerox copies, billboard collages and wall drawings.  Based out of Los Angeles, Chartand is a recipient of the Kala 2000 Fellowship and the Hamaguchi Award.  She has shown extensively throughout the Bay Area and received her MFA from CCAC in 2000.