Ding Ren: one to one
MFA Thesis Exhibition
April 13 – 24, 2009
Reception: Wednesday, April 22, 6-8pm
Gallery 102, Smith Hall of Art
George Washington University
801 22nd Street, NW
Washington, DC 20052
Gallery Hours: M-F, 9am-5pm
Washington, DC—Gallery 102 at The George Washington University is pleased to present Ding Ren’s MFA Thesis Exhibition, one to one. One to one is a site-specific piece created from found imperfections on the gallery’s floor. These easily overlooked dents and stains, left over from previous use of the space as a printmaking studio, were traced and cataloged by the artist. The tracings were then matched with cartographic locations using a selection of to-be-discarded maps from the National Geographic Map Library. The title of the exhibition and piece, one to one, refers to the “one to one” relationship that is sought—a dent or stain had to match an island on a map as closely in shape and scale as possible. Once matched, the cartographic location (the positive shape) was cut out of the map and placed directly on top of the floor imperfection, while the remaining portion of the map (the negative shape) was hung on the wall. The positive shapes on the floor were then labeled with corresponding numbers to the negative shapes on the wall. To view the piece, one must engage in an exploratory scavenger hunt and matching game of their own.
Ding Ren was born in 1983, in Wuhan, China. She currently lives and works in Washington, DC. In May, 2009, Ren will receive her MFA in Studio Art from the George Washington University. She received her BA in Photography and Art History at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County in 2005. She has exhibited her work in Baltimore, MD and Washington, DC.
www.dingren.net
