From that which is below

Framed by a sledgehammer-bashed concrete wall, nestled amid pipes and ductwork, a U-shaped sculpture with two small house forms balances in a pleasantly bright basement space. The piece by Bobby Smith, who often transforms found building materials into abstract, sometimes vaguely cryptic assemblages, is surrounded by intimate paintings and framed works by Anna Gregor and Chris Peckham.

Tops Gallery, a dual space in Memphis, comprises a concrete-walled basement formerly used for coal storage and, a ten-minute drive away, a window space open 24/7 to passersby. Inhabiting this dialectic is the three-person show From that which is below, curated by Maria Owen.

Complementing Smith’s use of repurposed materials, Peckham elevates mediums we typically associate with fabrication or utilitarian purposes to elegant, minimalist assemblages, such as an irregular grid of brushed-metal plates. “Metal abstractions recontextualize industrial elements, while door jamb panels reference Peckham’s past work as a door manufacturer,” Owen writes.

Gregor’s painting practice is positioned within the context of what the artist describes as a “construction site.” Almost cubist, collage-like compositions revel in shadow play and vestiges of recognizable, mundane objects like binder pages or clocks, moving back and forth across the boundary of representation and abstraction. Her surface is gold leaf-backed mirrors, which literally reflect the artist’s surroundings.

“Positioned in conversation with the material idiosyncrasies of the gallery space, the resulting composition proposes alternative pathways and architectures,” Owen says. “Darkness offers a clean slate; seclusion clarifies. Like Tops itself, these works ask curiosity of their viewers. Yet at times, not unlike the Park gallery, they compel our attention.” From that which is below continues through March 28 in Memphis. ✧

All images courtesy of the artists and Tops Gallery.