Night volumes

Since the early 1980s, Hillarie Mais has explored the potential of the grid as both composition and content. Her practice reflects the legacy of American minimalism of the late 1960s and 1970s, extending upon its concern with compositional systems, geometric form, and visual and spatial perception.

In 'Night volumes', a sculptural relief is paired with a stretched canvas that appears to mirror its composition. This dual structure creates a dialogue between real and illusory, whole and part, the abstract and the subtly referential - further to the shadowy associations of the work's title.

In spite of its rigorous geometry, on close inspection 'Night volumes' reveals a handmade look rather than machine aesthetic. The overall scale of each panel is based on the width of Mais's outstretched arms - an intimate index of the artist's body that runs counter to the work's seemingly cool compositional logic.