Kristin Baker's Boston MFA Exhibition Critiqued Amid Local Abstract Art Scene

Kristin Baker's exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, running from October 2, 2010, to March 27, 2011, features four large-scale paintings in the Community Arts and SMFA Gallery. The show includes works like Matter Facture and Full Dawn Parallax, employing techniques such as squeegee painting on PVC. Museum curator Jen Mergel and conservator Carol T. Henderson hosted a gallery talk on October 21, 2010, discussing Baker's approach to expanding painting conventions. Baker, born in 1975, previously depicted race car crashes but has moved toward abstract compositions. Concurrently, Joanne Mattera exhibited encaustic works at Arden Gallery from November 2 to 29, 2010, while Imi Hwangbo showed cut Mylar pieces at Miller Block Gallery from November 12 to December 23, 2010. Benicia Gantner presented vinyl and Plexiglas works at Walker Contemporary from November 5 to December 18, 2010. The MFA's new gallery space, redesigned from an I.M. Pei entrance, provides additional wall space for Baker's eight- to ten-foot paintings. Critics note Baker's shift from imagery-based works to abstract forms, with mixed results across the four paintings.