Review Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Tania Becker - New Paintings 2007 - April 13 to May 19, 2007 - Sandler Hudson Gallery, Atlanta, GA

VISUAL ARTS & ARCHITECTURE: Intense and serene works commune in pair's show

By Debra Wolf
For the Journal-Constitution
Published on: 04/29/2007 REVIEW

"New Paintings: Tania Becker" and "Stratum: Kenn Kotara"

Through May 19. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays; noon-5 p.m., Saturdays. Prices: $850-$12,000. Sandler Hudson Gallery, 1009-A Marietta St., N.W., Atlanta. 404-817-3300. sandlerhudson.com.

Verdict: Fiery and cerebral. Two views work wonders.

Tania Becker and Kenn Kotara offer enticing approaches to abstraction, layering and underlying geometries.

Becker presents vivid reflections of Earth inspired by images taken from space. The simplicity of a single circular form and stunning use of color and energy achieved through layering and brushwork make her mixed-media paintings fiery and beautiful.

Building her surfaces with sculpted bits of tinfoil, salt and acrylic, Becker achieves a textured and luminous effect. She uses a selective palette of brilliant blues and touches of green and golden-yellows, washed and dripped through foreground and background.

Each painting offers a variation of planetary happenings. In "Running of the Map," the circular form is broken, gaseous and swirling. Cool blues are singed with flecks of burning orange. "Salt of the Earth" is a seductive circle of watery blue, with a lick of flame that moves through its middle. "Tectonic Collision" grounds its highly active planes with a horizontal band of minutely patterned black, like a lunar surface from which we glance up.

Three small paintings on paper hang in a horizontal grouping, each suggesting an explosion of creation or earthly terrain. Filled with cobalt, cerulean and sapphire tones, these are delicate gems in a body of work that is wholly pleasurable...

If Becker captures the uncontrollable forces of nature, Kotara offers a serene counterbalance, conceptual and cerebral. This pairing makes for a show that is smart, sensual and satisfying.