Renée Stout: Wild World

In her fifth solo exhibition at Hemphill, Stout addresses a progression of themes, first inviting the viewer into a “Room of Spirits” which sets the stage for there being a presence beyond the self. Stout then introduces devices designed as a mechanical means to transfer magic or captured energy from one source to another. The artist asks “do I have the ability, if I try hard enough, to tap into a universal energy that’s more enlightened?” Stout’s hand-built machines, utilizing wire, wood, paint, and a myriad of found items, are systems of the mind powered by spiritual energy. Stout urges the viewer to embrace and believe in the presence of spiritual energy, capably presenting the tools of her own creation through which it works.