In Zeke Williams’ 14 new oil-on-plywood paintings at Erin Cluley Gallery, two aspects are particularly entrancing: the shimmering gradations of color that stretch across each of the carved wooden tiles on the work’s surface, and the patterns formed as the tiles fit together, like scales on a fish. The repetition with variation is mesmerizing, like watching the rotation of a disco ball or the reflections on the tiles at the bottom of a swimming pool.
Zeke Williams’ “Chef’s Hat Circle” is featured in the exhibition at Erin Cluley Gallery.
Erin Cluley Gallery
With six solo exhibitions at Erin Cluley Gallery over the last decade, first in West Dallas and since 2019 in the Design District, Williams has become a stalwart of the local art community, producing steadily and growing ever more subtle and nuanced. While the crisp, hard-edged stenciling and bold, unmodulated primary colors in his earliest works struck me as somewhat chilly and impersonal, I was easily drawn into the “Gather” exhibition’s inviting warmth.
Technology is seamlessly integrated into the artist’s process (the pieces are designed with digital software, then cut with a CNC machine), but the casual feel of the birch plywood support and a certain human-feeling irregularity in the way the wooden tiles fit together give the works a casual, approachable vibe.
Details
“Zeke Williams: Gather” is on view through Sept. 27 at Erin Cluley Gallery, 150 Manufacturing St., Suite 210. Open Wednesday through Saturday from noon to 5 p.m., and by appointment. Free. 214-760-1155. erincluley.com.
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