Rupture of Plane
at Hunter Shaw
Fine Art

Alan Shields, Rain Dance Route, from The Raggedy Circumnavigation Series (1985). Relief, woodcut, silkscreen, string, stitching, on handmade paper, two layers, 47 inches diameter. Image courtesy of the artist and Hunter Shaw Fine Art. Photo: Ruben Diaz.

As a Max’s Kansas City boy in the ‘60s and ‘70s, Alan Shields (1944-2005) was in the thick of it; sandwiched between post-modernist painters and beat poets, he maintained a style largely his own, albeit with a few visual nods (say, to the rainbow-hued geometrics of Frank Stella). Shields’ layered prints radiate with introspection, their circular composition recalling sites for spiritual enlightenment (labyrinth, mandala, dream-catcher—take your pick). Paired at Hunter Shaw Fine Art with a selection of Mimbres pottery crafted over 1,000 years ago, Rupture of Plane makes history feel alarmingly radical, despite referencing the well-trodden terrain of both Southwestern pottery and the New York City avante garde.

The three major works by Shields in the exhibition—large, circular four-foot compositions—hail from the Raggedy Circumnavigation Series (all 1985) and are made with stacked layers of handmade paper that are sewn together. Nearly every printmaking process had its place in Shields’ studio, each layer of delicate paper is either squeegeed, pressed, glittered, or rubbed (and sometimes all four) with vibrant color and patterning. In Uncle Ferdinand’s Route, a doily thin layer of paper that has been printed with a spiraling rainbow pattern is placed backwards onto the composition—the bold pattern becomes muted, only faintly visible through the lacy variations in the white paper pulp. These paper works feel oddly contemporary, suggesting Shields’ influence on Laura Owens’ coolness or Larry Pittman’s dense patterning.

The psychedelic and circular motifs of Shields carries across to the Mimbres pottery on view, most of which the gallerist bought personally alongside his father (to whom this exhibition is dedicated). The autonomous Mimbres community dates back to 900-1200 CE, and they practiced spiritual traditions involving ingestion of the psychedelic datura plant. Intricate black patterning painted on white pots references the beloved plant (or its psychic influence), and also acted as a map to help the deceased’s spirit to travel to the next dimension. Lighting bolts zag and radiate; hawk moths loom out with bulging eyes. Though possessing already familiar Southwestern motifs, the detailing feels refreshingly playful, almost cartoonish in places.

Circular geometry formally ties Shields’ layered constructions to the ovular Mimbres portals, yet, more affectingly, this pairing privileges a metaphysical spirituality that (while trendy amongst the So-Cal elite) reminds that art has the capacity to facilitate deep communal revelations. This proves welcome and enlightening amidst the flashier, more commercial offerings of the art world’s anticipated fall-season.

Rupture of Plane: Alan Shields + Mimbres Painted Pottery runs from September 9–October 7, 2018 at Hunter Shaw Fine Arts (1300 Glendale Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90018).

Alan Shields, Equatorial Route, from The Raggedy Circumnavigation Series (1985). Relief, woodcut, silkscreen, string, stitching, on handmade paper, two layers, 52 x 52 inches (framed). Image courtesy of the artist and Hunter Shaw Fine Art. Photo: Ruben Diaz.

Alan Shields + Mimbres Painted Pottery, Rupture of Plane (2018) (installation view). Image courtesy of the artist and Hunter Shaw Fine Art. Photo: Ruben Diaz.

Classic Mimbres Black-on-white, Abstracted datura buds with entoptic patterns (c. 900-1000 CE). Painted ceramic, 13 inches diameter, 4 inches depth. Image courtesy of the artist and Hunter Shaw Fine Art. Photo: Ruben Diaz.

Alan Shields + Mimbres Painted Pottery, Rupture of Plane (2018) (installation view). Image courtesy of the artist and Hunter Shaw Fine Art. Photo: Ruben Diaz.

Alan Shields, Uncle Ferdinand’s Route, from The Raggedy Circumnavigation Series (1985). Relief, woodcut, silkscreen, string, stitching, glitter, on handmade paper, three layers, 52 x 52 inches (framed). Image courtesy of the artist and Hunter Shaw Fine Art. Photo: Ruben Diaz.

Classic Mimbres Black-on-white, Insects in rotational symmetry (c. 900-1000 CE). Painted ceramic, 9.5 inches diameter, 5 inches depth. Image courtesy of the artist and Hunter Shaw Fine Art. Photo: Ruben Diaz.

Lindsay Preston Zappas is an L.A.-based artist, writer, and the founder of Carla. She is an arts correspondent for KCRW. She received her MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art and attended Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in 2013. Recent solo exhibitions include those at the Buffalo Institute for Contemporary Art (Buffalo, NY), OCHI (Los Angeles), and City Limits (Oakland).

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