In Crystal Gregory’s new series of “material paintings,” the Hyperallergic-reviewed artist embeds woven huck lace into concrete, creating truly unique works that transcend mediums. Materials and their cultural associations lie at the core of “Hold Tight Swing Low & Embrace,” and as Gregory works to unpack the meanings of lace and concrete, she plays with color and form and make in different modes. The weaving process is slow and meticulous, but when the fabric is permanently set in concrete, this process is in contrast to the slowness and meticulousness of weaving: it is dusty and fast as Gregory works the wet cement into the surface of the textile embedding the threads and stilling their movement. Finally, these “material paintings” hang on the wall like abstract paintings, but are in fact so much more.
