06/03/2026
Two exhibitions opening this Friday, June 5th, 5 - 8 PM
ROBERT FRONK: ASSISTED READYMADES +
TOM MARIONI: DRAWINGS, PRINTS, AND OTHER WORKS
In a departure from his forty-year primary practice as a painter, Cincinnati artist Robert Fronk has created a body of 3-D assembled “collages” utilizing a stockpile of thousands of wood-milled industrial foundry patterns. From origins as varied as municipal waterworks to submarine doors, these elegant forms lend themselves to Fronk’s intense study of line, form, and design. The severe color palette of black/red/yellow and the various markings are cryptic remnants of their factory backstory—not to be obscured, but rather honored as important relics of Cincinnati’s famed 20th century machinist trades.
Tom Marioni was born in 1937 in Cincinnati, Ohio, class of Cincinnati Art Academy 1959, afterwards moved to San Francisco, where he still lives. His first sound work, One Second Sculpture, 1969, was celebrated in the 2005 Lyon Biennial as presaging the work of many artists today who use sound and duration as subjects. His first museum show was in 1970 at the Oakland Museum of California. Titled “The Act of Drinking Beer with Friends is the Highest Form of Art,” it was an early example of social art as a sculpture action. Over the years, Marioni was invited to repeat the work in various contexts around the world.
1. Robert Fronk (b. 1958), "Industrial Mandala (small)," 2024, Wood-milled industrial foundry patterns, 69 x 70 inches
2. Installation view of Robert Fronk: Assisted Readymades exhibition
3. Installation view of Tom Marioni: Drawings, Prints, and Other Works exhibition
4. Tom Marioni, "Beer Art," 2026, Palette, Pacifico beer, Edition of 6, 1/6, 9 1/2 x 11 1/2 x 8 inches
5. Tom Marioni, "Three of a Kind," 2017, Color spit bite aquatint and soft ground etching on paper, Edition of 25, AP 1, Published by Crown Point Press, Image: 11 x 11 inches, Paper: 17 1/2 x 17 inches
Solway Gallery's first-floor gallery exhibition "I-75 Corridor" will be also be on-view during the reception.