Visit with Gail Tarantino

In In Other Words, Gail Tarantino ’s works on paper and linen begin with language as both material and structure. Words are partially concealed, fractured, or rendered unreadable, their original meanings obscured while something more essential is brought into focus. Legibility gives way to a form of communication that becomes more experiential than literal.

Gail’s compositions are rhythmic, shaped by the fluid bleed of ink, the measured cadence of stitching, and the tension between matte and metallic surfaces. These elements create a visual tempo that echoes the act of reading itself with pause, repetition, and punctuation. The artist reclaims language not as a stable vehicle for meaning, but as a mutable system. By translating written language into her own visual tongue, she invites viewers to consider how communication can exist beyond the confines of words.

"I’ve been playing around with composing overlapping text by combining two phrases and how we can change/rearrange its meaning when we string them together." - Gail Tarantino

"I've created several bodies of work that revolve around language, its structure, rhythm and codes. Thinking about language, writing systems, forms of communication and its myriad of meaning have been a continuous thread in my studio practice. Referencing a familiar thought or phrase creates a structure of rhythmic arrangement of text, texture and context, tapping into the musicality of language, both spoken and read." - Gail Tarantino