Elizabeth Lide @ Whitespace
Published May 22nd 2025
By Noah Reyes
Elizabeth Lide @ Whitespace
Oddments of the Lean State
March 8th - April 19th
There’s a tender feeling circulating throughout Oddments of the Lean State by Elizabeth Lide at Whitespace Gallery in Atlanta. Oddments, a remnant or part of something left over, is a fitting title for the exhibition as it encapsulates the slew of works that have been made over the more than 50 year career of Elizabeth Lide. Remnants of the past abound throughout the exhibition. Thorough and extensive, Oddments of the Lean State features delicate drawings on exotic papers, cast paper pulp / plaster vessels embedded with hair, as well as odds and ends chronicling past exhibitions, residencies, and an intimate personal life. The dedication and introspection one can observe through Lide’s work is wholesome and with unwavering fervor.
The exhibition offers a rich spread of materials and approaches to art-making and yet maintains a style that is undoubtedly Lide’s. An eclectic exploration from over the years, wound by the artist’s hand. With roots stretching deep into Atlanta’s history, Lide also offers moments from exhibitions past. Even the exhibition title is a reference from a previous exhibition the artist held in conjunction with Nexus in 1984.This history is put on view and beckons to be examined. There’s a lot on display and Lide leaves no stone unturned. Across several walls of shelves rest journals, totemic drawings, framed panes of glass and childhood garments hang. Some of these more personal effects, such as a necklace, a comb, a fan, childhood clothes, and even a singular ponytail sans body among other items are showcased and woven throughout the exhibition. This mix of personal artifacts and artwork can feel overwhelming at times but remains a testament to the artist’s dedication and lifelong pursuit of artmaking.
Delicate drawings on specialty French paper are framed and hung around the gallery. These compositions are executed with thoughtful material and skill. WIth some shining with gold leaf, these simple abstractions on tempered paper look like artifacts, reminiscent of medieval folios, giving them gravitas. Between this, the personal items and the shelves constructed from rich smelling reclaimed wood, there is a comforting and nostalgic feeling to the exhibition. The extensive history and charged energy of all the items and artwork is palpable.
Another notable feature of Oddments of the Lean State are the cast paper pulp sculptures. Taking the forms of vessels including pots, vases, and pitchers, the sculptures are made from a cast mixing plaster and paper pulp. The nature of these materials render certain imperfections, making some look as if they are weighty and carved from stone. How they balance a preciousness with their form and material with a look that is solid and heavy is a wonderful effect. At times their color is disarming, pastel pinks, yellows and blues offset the serious nature of the vessels. Another disarming feature among them is the surreal incorporation of hair, tufts of it embedded in the sculptures, becoming an amalgamation of organic and inorganic materials.
Throughout the gallery, framed pieces of glass which have been painted or drawn on are displayed in a number ways, protruding from walls, standing on tables or shelves. Because of their transparency and arrangement, one can view other pieces through them, causing a visual interplay of overlapping works and objects. It is a curious way of looking back on one’s work over the years with how these pieces literally reframe and recontextualize the work around them when viewed from various angles. They remain in place and we as viewers join Lide in her journey, as she guides us through her life and works.
Oddments of the Lean State is like a garden Lide has sewn. Her art and experiences over the years making for proverbial seeds recur and tender this cozy and considerable exhibition, blossoming again. An ambitious retrospective encompassing Lide’s long career as an artist. This remnant of a remnant blooms again. Ultimately it champions a steadfast artist and inspiration in committing oneself to a life of artmaking.