Amy Cutler: Past, Present, Progress

Amy Cutler (b. 1974, Poughkeepsie, NY) is known for her detailed, surreal depictions of women involved in arduous and mysterious tasks. For over two decades, she has created beguiling images that only hint at unknown and open-ended stories, inviting endless interpretations. Reflecting influences as wide-ranging as global textiles, Persian miniatures and nineteenth-century photography and engaging with subjects as broad as animals of all kinds, failed utopia and preindustrial devices, Cutler’s works are otherworldly. Yet, they serve as visual metaphors for very real societal conditions or personal experiences. As mysterious as her images can be, hiding in plain sight are representations of particular traits and concepts identified by the artist. Amy Cutler: Past, Present, Progress focuses on three recurring motifs—hair, heads and horses—to explore how they are used for different effect and purpose.

Typical for Cutler, these motifs may have multiple associations, but each suggests a distinct condition. Long braids of hair signal the passage of time and a connection to the past, while heads, detached or opened to reveal an inner mental landscape, imply a present state of being. Horses, given their association with transportation, allude to transition and are emblematic of progress or movement forward. Amy Cutler: Past, Present, Progress is the artist’s first solo presentation in Texas and serves as a snapshot overview of her practice.  Three new paintings as well as earlier examples, along with prints, drawings and an elaborate interactive installation will intrigue and stimulate with their detailed, enigmatic composition.