EMILY GABLE
So, where do you summer?
August 31st - October 5th
Does buying a bit of an ocean give you the right to the whole body of water? Where does property ownership and the boundaries of groundwater access intersect? Can boundaries be placed upon a property that is continually in flux, or whose depths are not fully charted? Similarly, can something physically fluid become static or contained according to the laws of ownership? These questions are all relevant when looking at Emily Gable’s drawings of waves and aquifers, which are dissected by imaginary property lines. So, where do you summer? examines potential ways that these bodies of water can be understood differently, as their geographic parameters shrink and expand with the different borders placed upon them presenting new definitions.
After moving back to the Bay Area from NYC Gable settled in the Sunset District near Ocean Beach. While spending regular time by the ocean she began to bring back jars of ocean water to her house – an exercise that led to the examination of water rights and the foundation for her current artwork.
In addition to the drawings of waves, tide pools, inlets and aquifers there are also 40 jars of water collected by the artist. Each jar has a hand-painted label identifying the location and water content. While these jars serve as a visual representation of the passage of time, they also question the accessibility of their contents, which are placed beyond the reach of the viewer on a lofted shelf. This intentional “display” of these jars also serves as a foil for the commodification of water as a lucrative product.
While doing research for her drawings, Gable found that property laws did not necessarily account for depth. Historically this led to people mining beneath their competitors for valuable minerals or deposits, such as water or oil. Since aquifers are small layers of groundwater that are extracted using a water well, these issues of ownership come directly into play. Conversely a wave is created by a mass of flowing water moving from one location to another within a larger body of water. By looking at these two examples once can understand the contradictions of systematized borders, as well as exclusivity of ownership and access.
Emily Gable is a San Francisco based artist currently working in a variety of media. So, where do you summer? is her first exhibition in San Francisco after moving back to the Bay Area from New York. She graduated from Hunter College with a BA in Visual Art and has participated in public performances at various art festivals including the Performance & Visual Art Showcase in Chez Bushwick and Aqua Art Fair. Emily lives near the ocean, which influences the subject matter of her recent work.
