Through April 30, 2009
Cynthia Handel

Gallery 555
555 12th Street, Oakland, CA
Lobby Hours: Monday through Friday 7 a.m.– 6 p.m.;
Third Thursdays 7 a.m-8 p.m.

Open and free to the public. BART, AC Transit and Wheelchair accessible.

Presented by the Oakland Museum of California Professional Services division
Professional Services Exhibition Archive

The artwork of Oakland based sculptor Cynthia Handel explores the relationship between organic and inorganic forms.

Cynthia Handel exhibition view. Photo Michael Temperio.

Handel derives inspiration from everyday objects such as tables, vessels, seedpods and other organic and man made structures. Handel notes, “Examining my work, I realize I work intuitively, creating elements, collecting parts that reflect what and how I see and respond to my surroundings.”

Process and materials are as significant to Handel as form. Through casting, welding, carving, and building - each piece is the result of multiple layers of decision-making. Elements are added, subtracted, and re-worked to create these rich surfaces. Complex surface treatments “are my way of recording gestures, memories and movements,” Handel explains.

Cynthia Handel exhibition view. Photo Michael Temperio.

Handel chooses materials that exist on opposite polarities - the permanence of steel and bronze contrast with the fragile delicacy of beeswax, silk and salt. Our shared ideas and the intrinsic qualities of materials, such as touch, smell, sheen, taste, provide a way for the viewer to share in her experience.

Carin Adams
Museum Curatorial Specialist

Gallery 555 is managed by the Oakland Museum of California’s Professional Services Division. Professional Services is a museum department that shares the institution’s resources with the community by developing exhibitions of fine art and artifact in public venues. For more information about Professional Services, please go to www.museumca.org/off-site.

Oakland City Center is a focal point for commercial and government activity in downtown Oakland. For more information about Oakland City Center, go to www.oaklandcitycenter.com.