Being Present is a two-person exhibition that explores abstraction through the photographic artwork of Robin Resch and paintings of Shirley Kern. They have long been drawn to each others work, finding that it resonates mutually in an emotive way that they feel is worth sharing.
Resch is interested in conveying the essence of what she experiences. Her work, made in moments of reflection, stillness and contemplation, pulls this essence from light, exploring the energies she perceives through shifts in focus. Her intention is to evoke the emotive experience of being in a certain place and the landscape as we pass through it, an analogy to the fleeting nature of life and the vulnerability of our planet.
Kern’s vibrant abstract paintings pull the viewer in with an immediate intensity. She is interested in the realm of possibilities and uses memories of experiences and nature that are fleeting, emerging and evolving naturally as she paints. This intuitive process creates emotion and surprise, allowing for a deeper connection with a sense of aliveness accentuated by the rhythms of music.
Rather than expressing the world realistically, they share an interest in exploring other impressions and emotions. Both artists embrace unpredictability, opening themselves to chance. This spontaneous way of working allows colors and shapes to flow into one another, creating a sense of motion and time passing.
Being Present is an invitation to connect and through abstraction to see differently. It reminds us of the value in simply being present, in this moment.
Robin Resch is a Princeton, NJ, based visual artist known for her natural portraiture and her fine-art photography. A graduate alumna of Princeton University, she received her Master’s in Architecture in 2003, which she combined with advanced photographic studies under Emmet Gowin.
Her work has been exhibited at Princeton University’s Lucas Gallery, NRG’s headquarters, the Nassau Club, the Arts Council of Princeton, the Pringle Gallery, Design Within Reach, Princeton Project Space, amongst others. Publications include WWD, GQ Italia, the New York Times, Princeton Alumni Weekly, the Rotterdams Dagblad, and Princeton Magazine. Her work is in private collections across the United States and Europe.
She has maintained a studio in the heart of Princeton since 2003. In 2012, she was honored to be the exclusive campaign photographer for First Lady Michelle Obama in Princeton. For 2020-2021, she was Artist-in-Residence for the Arts Council of Princeton and Princeton University’s Humanities Council. In 2023, she was invited by Princeton University to create the official cover art for the 2023 Princeton Reunions.
“In my landscape photography I explore the power of nature and the duality of its ephemerality and continuum. This work is made in moments of reflection, stillness and contemplation. My intention is to evoke the emotive experience of being in a certain place and the landscape as we pass through it — an analogy to the fleeting nature of life and the vulnerability of our planet.”
Shirley Kern is an abstract painter residing in Princeton, New Jersey, who creates art in her nearby studio in Hopewell. She received a Master of Fine Arts degree from Northern Vermont University.
Kern has exhibited her work at Muse Gallery, Philadelphia – Dickinson Hall Gallery, Princeton University – A.I.R. Gallery, Brooklyn NY, NY – NOHO M55 Gallery, NY, NY – Robert Blackburn Gallery, NY, NY – Manhattan Graphics Center, NY, NY – Erdman Gallery, Theological Seminary, Princeton – Hunterdon Art Museum, New Jersey Ellerslie Art Museum, New Jersey – Julian Scott Gallery, Northern Vermont, University Vermont – Red Mill Gallery, Vermont, Studio Center Vermont – John James Audubon Museum, Kentucky – Evansville Museum, Begley Art Gallery, Indiana – USI Art Gallery, Indiana – and New Harmony Gallery of Contemporary Art, Indiana – among others. Her abstract paintings are in many private and corporate collections.
“I am interested in sharing an artwork that is alive with emotional interest but has no fixed meaning, open to interpretation by all, similar to works of music and poetry.”
