Jane Nodine to Exhibit Her Encaustic Paintings in Wuppertal, Germany

Jane Allen Nodine, professor of art at the University of South Carolina Upstate, in Spartanburg, SC, has been invited to exhibit her encaustic paintings at Gallerie Kunstkomplex in Wuppertal, Germany, from Mar. 3 – Apr. 7, 2012. This solo exhibition of 20 of her most recent works is titled Wachsspuren, or, Traces of Wax.

In addition to the exhibit, Nodine was invited by the director of Gallerie Kunstkomplex, Nicole Bardohl, and German artist Bodo Berheide, to visit Wuppertal during the first week of March to attend the opening reception of the exhibition on Mar. 8 and discuss her research in encaustic painting with the Wuppertal community. Wuppertal is located near Dusseldorf and has a population of approximately 350,000.

Nodine met Berheide in April 2011 when he visited USC Upstate to present a scholarly lecture on his sculpture project, Figura Magica, a six-ton cast-iron sculpture of an oversized, elongated horseshoe magnet, which garnered international attention as it made its world tour before stopping in Wuppertal. Berheide visited Nodine’s studio in Spartanburg, became interested in her work, and invited her to exhibit in Germany.

“I will present historical and technical material on the process of encaustic hot wax in a historical and contemporary context, and I will have an opportunity to visit several galleries, museums and university programs in the region,” says Nodine.

The term encaustic is derived from the Greek “enkaustikos,” which means “to heat” or “to burn.” The encaustic medium consists of beeswax mixed with resin to impart hardness that renders a material artists can use to embed various marks, materials, pigments, and textures. This historical process, used by ancient Greeks and Romans, has attracted the attention of many contemporary artists, such as Jasper Johns, because of its rich surfaces and sculptural properties. The encaustic process originated in Egypt in approximately 100 A.D.

For further information, contact Nodine at 864/503-5838 or e-mail to (jnodine@uscupstate.edu).

USC Upstate in Spartanburg, SC, Offers Lecture by German Artist Bodo Berheide – Apr. 7, 2011

German artist Bodo Berheide will be on the campus of the University of South Carolina Upstate on Apr. 7, 2011, for a lecture presentation on his work and reception afterwards. Free and open to the public, the event starts at 5pm in the Humanities and Performing Arts Center recital hall at USC-Spartanburg in Spartanburg, SC.

Berheide, born in Oberhof, Thuringia, Germany in 1944, works primarily in the medium of sculpture. His main project, which has garnered international attention, began in 1988 with the casting of Figura Magica, a six-ton cast-iron sculpture in the form of an oversized, elongated horseshoe magnet. Three years later, Figura Magica was sent off from Wuppertal, Germany on its journey around the world in quest of its “magic charge.” Stops on its world tour included Dublin, Ireland, 1991; Montreal, Canada, 1993; Bethany, West Virginia, 1995; and Matagalpa, Nicaragua, 1997; Santiago, Chile, 1999; Sydney, Australia, 2001; Ohmishima, Japan, 2003; Negombo, Sri Lanka, 2005 – 2007; Lomé, Togo, 2007; and then its journey home to Wuppertal in 2009.

Before constructing the Figura Magica, Berheide studied at the Düsseldorf Art Academy under Joseph Beuys in the 1970s. Since 1977, the scope of his artistic activity embraced drawings, sculptures, objects, and performances.  His main themes are nature and the environment, economy and solidarity. It was also in 1977 that he began to exhibit his works in Germany and abroad.

Since 1992, his works have mainly taken the form of artworks in wood and metal, or printing stamps, from which he then makes embossed objects with papier mâché made from newsprint. Berheide lives and works in Wuppertal, Germany.

For additional information contact Jane Nodine, director of the Curtis R. Harley Gallery at 864/503-5838 or e-mail to (jnodine@uscupstate.edu) or Dirk Schlingmann, dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, at 864/503-5663 or e-mail at (dschlingmann@uscupstate.edu).