Clerestory windows, found high above eye level, at the highest level in a building, allow for brilliant color, light, and fresh air to flood in. They open up and amplify enclosed spaces. Rainbows of light enter and swirl around a previously darkened space. They can be understood as metaphors for enlightenment and truth. The word ‘story’ hidden in clerestory also connects with narrative; to tell one’s story is to bring light and color to a dark space. Color, in the form of paint, stain, brush, gouache, tincture, fiber, or luminosity – to name a few – is essential to the works gathered in Clerestory . It is often the first; the most noticeable element of any work of art. It has the capacity to initiate dialogue or to inform the entire story. In other words, color, in all forms, has narrative power. Color and light can also enhance or manipulate an existing image, transforming its relationship to truth and fiction, re-shaping perception.
from the exhibition text
Clerestory is on view at Laney Contemporary in Savannah through August 29.
