Bryce Lafferty’s unique works on paper appear to show the inner workings of a fantasized biosphere. Through inventive cross-sections and merged elements, Lafferty suggests hidden systems that affect topography and biomes. The artist notes, "My landscape drawings emerge as poetic expressions of my wonderment for the natural world. They are almost always based on actual places that I've visited and are the result of an internal process that involves meshing together memories with categorical knowledge, like science, philosophy, or history."
Lafferty spent time earlier this year as an artist-in-residence at Zion National Park in Southwest Utah. Inspired by the dramatic red cliffs of Zion Canyon, he explored the area around the Virgin River as it meanders, supporting a fertile valley. Lafferty visited the Emerald Pools, with their waterfalls and a hanging garden. Elements of this distinctive landscape are in several works.
Boundarylands presents a cohesive collection of Lafferty's renderings that depict varied ecosystems ranging from periglacial topography to some of the artist's favorite areas in his native Alabama. This is Lafferty's first solo show in Asheville and represents the largest group of his work the gallery has had at one time. Meet Bryce Lafferty at Boudaryland's opening reception on Thursday, September 8 (5-8 pm) and see the exhibition daily at Momentum through Saturday, November 12.
