Rachelle Reichert
Carbon and salt are the subject and medium of my work. I depict
entropic processes such as crystallization and corrosion. I
layer, fold, rub, and press graphite (a crystalline form of carbon)
and salt to create structures, whose precarious states of
transformation are recorded and amplified through sculptures,
photographs, and drawings. The monochromatic drawings contain
regions of loose marks balanced with passages of meticulous
observation. My process is inspired by the self-organizing
tendencies of the substances to stratify and form geometric
structures. The graphite and salt produce an image of themselves
through their physical properties. Material agency is apparent in
graphite’s repulsion of water and salt’s oxidation of metal. I work
with this agency to create visual ambiguity—a space where the
viewer can rediscover the matter from which we originate.
![](https://nap-master.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/styles/entry_thumb/public/Reichert_Untitled_SmithsonSaltA.jpg?NlA4N0vfiWVT92hI6rCLsHxqCDkhCana&itok=G4eQIsmM)
![](https://nap-master.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/styles/entry_thumb/public/Reichert_Untitled_GraphiteinWaterB.jpg?dAjVMp5VI7Ut2hZ0vnWIRGclOehkSepp&itok=DSHfewjS)
![](https://nap-master.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/styles/bio_cover_img/public/Reichert_Headshot.2.jpg?SwyhDJE7Jx8Hu3X2Df4lTvJ4Zj7puYai&itok=xVgFnqjO)