Social Entropy Reception

The evening will offer an opportunity to hear short remarks from the artists and a chance to mingle. Light refreshments will be served.

In sociological terms, entropy refers to the human tendency towards a gradual decline into chaos. In the hands of an artist, color can be used in explorations of complex societal issues as a powerful instrument of order and structure. Artists Sandra Benhaim and Diane Goodman employ full frames of exuberant colors in their pieces. Both of the artists’ work uses color as a way of engaging with the concept of social entropy, at times either resisting or accepting it.

Diane Goodman, a self-taught painter, embraces her maximalist tendencies, filling her canvases to the brim with color— leaving little space to breathe. Though the abundance of imagery can spark impressions of chaos, Goodman uses personal symbology to bring a distinctive order to her pictorial narratives. Goodman uses acrylic and found historical images on wood and canvas as she interprets Jewish folklore, superstition, and magic with a technicolor palette of the late 20th century.

Sandra Benhaim applies layers of exuberant color and texture to communicate enthusiasm and hope for the natural world. In her work, imagined landscapes tend not towards disorder but instead towards a gradual, but ultimately triumphant, emergence of a new and beautiful world for viewers to explore and reflect upon.

Together, Benhaim and Goodman demonstrate how the decisions made while applying color to canvas— how much, what shade, and where— can actualize the potential to reinforce or challenge the status quo and offer an intuitive new way to experience and understand the world around us.

We look forward to seeing you at The National!

We suggest using a ride-share service, taxi or public transportation, but if you require parking, there is paid metered parking in the surrounding area.