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1-7. Thread :: Language, installation view, 2002, photocopies on bond         paper, cotton yarn, hand-knotted netting, map pins

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1-8. Studies in grammar, installation view, 2005, marking tags, map pins,         chalkboard paint, chalk

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1. Untitled, 2002, photocopy on bond paper, cotton yarn, approx. 72” x 36”
2. Untitled, 2002, monoprint, 10” x 8”
3. Untitled, 2002, monoprint, 10” x 8”
4. Untitled, 2002, photocopy on bond paper, 24” x 18”
5. Untitled, 2002, photocopy on bond paper, 24” x 18”
6. Being across time, 2005, chalk, chalkboard paint, 24” x 36”
7. Being across time, detail, 2005, chalk, chalkboard paint, 24” x 36”

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Contact Information
915 Spring Garden Street, Studio #412
Philadelphia, PA 19123
e-mail: leslie.atik@verizon.net
Please contact artist for purchases, commissions, etc.

Artist Statement
My work is an exploration of the relationships between language and textiles. I draw inspiration from many sources including the fields of anthropology, linguistics, and the textile arts. Thread is a central element in my work. Many cultures are rich in metaphors that reflect the long association of thread and language. We speak of weaving words, spinning yarns or tales, teasing out the threads of an argument. The layering of meaning possible in textiles has been used widely by many societies to communicate complex cosmological, spiritual and social ideas. There is a fundamental relationship between thread, textile and text that is especially suited to inquiries in the fiber arts.

In creating my work, I am engaged by the metaphorical links between fiber and linguistic structures. Textiles, like language, are based on essential structures that offer infinite creative possibilities. Many of the processes I use in my work are based on elements or units that, through repetition, generate a structure. I am interested in the concept of a universal grammar, a level of language structure that all people share, regardless of their native language. The elegance of this idea has led me to consider the poetic qualities of grammar and has suggested visual possibilities that I explore through the materiality of ink, paint, paper, and threads.

Education
2002
Tyler School of Art, Temple University, Elkins Park, PA
MFA, Fibers

1994
Massachusetts College of Art, Boston, MA
BFA, with Distinction, Painting
Departmental Honors, Fine Arts 2D Area

1985
University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
MA, with Distinction, Spanish Literature and Linguistics

1980
University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
BA, Spanish
Summa cum laude

Selected Exhibitions

2007
Marking Language, InLiquid at the Bride, Painted Bride Art Center, Philadelphia, PA

2006
Dear Fleisher: 4x6 Inches of Art, Samuel S. Fleisher Art Memorial, Philadelphia, PA

The Thread Counts Project, Virtual Gallery, Gallery Artists Studio Projects, Brookline, MA
Juried Exhibition

2002
Thread :: Language, Temple Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
MFA Thesis Exhibition

Spring Collection: 2002 Tyler MFA Graduates, Third Street Gallery, Philadelphia, PA

2001
ARGEROSATIKFINKPOWERSSETABUNDHU, Temple Gallery, Philadelphia, PA

1999
136th Annual Exhibition of Small Oil Paintings, The Philadelphia Sketch Club, Philadelphia, PA
Juried Exhibition

1998
H2O'98: The 1998 Philadelphia Sketch Club Watercolor Show, Philadelphia Sketch Club, Philadelphia, PA
Juried Exhibition

Annual Student Exhibition, Samuel S. Fleisher Art Memorial, Philadelphia, PA
Special Merit I Award

Other
1996-1999, 2001, 2003- 2005
Annual Open Studios, 915 Spring Garden Street, Philadelphia, PA