pt.2 Gallery is honored to present Viola Frey: Transitory Fragments, a solo exhibition of work by Viola Frey (1933–2004), an artist whose multidisciplinary practice defied categorization and whose groundbreaking contributions to the art world continue to resonate. This exhibition, which coincides with the release of the book Viola Frey: Artist’s Mind/Studio/World, offers an exploration of Frey’s creative process, visual language, and transformative impact on the blurring of boundaries between fine art and craft.
Frey’s art spanned multiple media—from ceramics and painting to drawing, bronze, and glass—challenging conventional artistic hierarchies. While best known for her monumental clay sculptures, this exhibition highlights the dynamic relationships within her oeuvre: the interplay between two- and three-dimensional forms, the monumental and the everyday, and the deliberate tension between chaos and control. The works on view, created between 1974 and 1995, include ceramic plates and trays, slipcast bricolage and mixed-media constructions, figurative sculptures small and large, and paintings on both paper and canvas, each serving as a cornerstone in the development of Frey’s visual language.
Her engagement with the world—particularly through objects collected at the Alameda Flea Market—became a rich source of inspiration. These discarded tchotchkes and figurines were transformed in Frey’s hands into layered narratives. This exhibition underscores Frey’s commitment to reimagining the overlooked and discarded. Her process of photographing, sketching, and assembling objects revealed a fascination with the visual rhythms and accidental relationships of everyday life. These practices allowed her to explore light, color, and scale, challenging traditional perceptions of both her work and the world it reflects.
This exhibition offers a vignette of the forthcoming book Viola Frey: Artist’s Mind/Studio/World. The publication provides fresh perspectives on her legacy, uncovering her influences, from her upbringing on a Central Valley grape farm to her experiments with Oakland’s distinctive light. As seen in this show, Frey pulls from expressionism, surrealism, figuration, and abstraction. It highlights Frey’s seamless transitions between her mind, the studio, and her relationship to the world, exemplifying her boundless creativity.
Viola Frey: Transitory Fragments being on view at pt.2 Gallery in Oakland carries particular significance, celebrating Frey’s enduring life-long ties to the Bay Area. From her education at California College of Arts and Crafts to her influential role as an artist and educator, Frey’s legacy remains deeply connected to the region and beyond. pt.2 Gallery’s presentation not only honors this history but also invites viewers to encounter Frey’s work anew, appreciating its ongoing relevance and transformative power.
