Reading Color: Art Forum 1965-2015, a must-see exhibit at Gildar Gallery, features recent conceptual abstractions by emerging Denver artist Andrew Jensotter. Gallery director Adam Gildar first saw his work at Vertigo; this is Jensotter's first solo at Gildar. On one level, the large square panels that make up the show function as classic all-over abstractions, sort of updated versions of ’50s action paintings, like Pollock’s. But there’s a conceptual subtext: Jensdotter created facsimiles of the pages of Art Forum and based each painting on a single issue of the iconic magazine, layering the painted-page depictions one on top of the other. But he didn't just apply paint to the panels; he also removed some of it. Finally, he used a curved knife to cut across the paintings' lumpy surfaces; where the knife cut through the layers, circular forms, surrounded by thin concentric bands of color, are revealed. The effect is sublime.
The show runs through April 16 at Gildar Gallery, 82 South Broadway; the gallery is open from noon to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. For more information, call 303-993-4474 or go to gildargallery.com.