Robin Gammons is an emerging Canadian-American multidisciplinary artist, working primarily in large-scale ceramic sculpture and acrylic painting. Gammons received her BFA from NSCAD University in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 2019 and completed the Special Student program in ceramics at Montana State University in 2019-2020. Her practice is inexorably linked to the body, using abstraction, vivid color, and often symmetry to interpret the physical forms of myriad emotional states. She is pleased to be returning to MSU’s Helen E. Copeland Gallery with this exhibition entitled Superposition.

Gammons will present a suite of new paintings on wood panel that use sensual form and intense color to project emotions outward with force. Pairing a lexicon of abstract organ-like forms with romantic decor such as hearts, ribbons and bells, Gammons uses colloquial symbols of love as a conduit for more complicated emotions. The title expresses the idea of emotional force: “In the study of quantum mechanics, ‘superposition’ is a term that refers to a particle which, when it is not observed, remains in a state of simultaneous positive and negative spin. In this same way, I can feel the charge of my emotions pushing and pulling in all directions at once. What I am experiencing cannot be tangibly seen or held, but I can attempt to make out the contours of my emotions and create a facsimile in paint, a representation of the energetic tension within myself. As in the study of quantum mechanics, where observers attempt to describe and measure the movement of particles where there is no observable equivalent, I am trying to create an image which is representative of something within myself that cannot be perceived in the physical world. I like to think of each of my works as a trophy which symbolizes a large or small victory in a constant battle for self-understanding and internal transcendence.”

Gammons practice is deeply personal, but she hopes that in revealing truths about herself she can reach the hearts of others. “I strive to show my belly, to find unfettered joy in vulnerability to abject pain. At its most simple, my work asks the question, “If my feelings could take shape this is what they would look like. Would yours look like this too?” When it’s done right, the connection feels like a bell ringing in my heart.”

Superposition Run Dates:
Jan 22-Feb 17
Closing Reception: Feb 17, 6-8pm
Helen E. Copeland gallery hours:
9 am-5 pm M-F