If the minimalist impulse was to eradicate any trace of the artists’ hand, then at first glance the work of Robert Moreland seems to fully participate in that inclination. Upon closer scrutiny, it becomes clear that his animating spirit is much more related to a DIY aesthetic; the various component parts, while precise and thoughtfully crafted, are fashioned from non-industrial materials. The low-relief wall-hanging works conjure up a cross between a rather simple paper fold project and a model-sized architectural fragment.

Generally, there is a wall panel from which other planes rise up in angular progressions or curved arrangements. This tilted tiling can move up and down or left to right but the effect is that of a low-relief structure on which the entirety of painted surfaces are stitched together by the viewer’s imagination. The works on exhibit have been drawn in primary colors or achromatic blacks, whites and grays, thus announcing their kinship to field painting. Often the rectangles and other shapes emblazoned on the surface carry from one plane over to another, shifting directions entirely. Some of the linear elements are geometrical and others are cut off at one end, looking willfully unfinished.

Robert Moreland, Untitled Prototype, 2017, courtesy Wilding Cran Gallery

One of the wall works that stands out for its color differences is an aqua-colored medium-sized piece titled Untitled Deco Segment (2019). On the floor, a large freestanding sculpture titled Untitled Prototype (2017) folds back on itself into a triangular pyramid and presents the unembellished nucleus of the language that is formally developed in the wall works. Its massiveness compared to the light paint and drop cloth constructions on the walls is underscored by the use of both leather hinges and massive steel hinges.

The question this work brings up is how today does this formalism fit within today’s world? It was once a reaction to Expressionism. Today is it a salve, a meditative pause or simply a decorative embellishment to a world in tumult? Very intentionally, Robert Moreland’s new show“Deliberation” set out a clear set of formal aesthetic parameters. It becomes the viewer’s responsibility to see how that connects to them and their world.