“Who’s the Victim (Banana),” by Lin Lisberger.

The word gravity comes from a Latin root meaning “weight, heaviness, pressure.” Gravity can denote seriousness or dignity. It can also refer to the weakest fundamental force in physics, yet is the force that defines the very structure of the universe. It is the attractive force between two objects or, perhaps more precisely, the impact two objects have on one another as each bends the fabric of space and time. Whichever meaning is used and whatever the underlying reality of that meaning, gravity is something we all feel.

Lin Lisberger’s solo exhibit “Gravity,” at Cove Street Arts, combines work from two of her series: Who’s the Victim? and Ladder and Bridge, each of which addresses forces that we feel but often do not understand or cannot escape. The work from Who’s the Victim? confronts the viewer with objects in opposition, often at the exact moment in time that each is impacting the other. What forces have brought the objects together, and what compels their interactions?

The pieces from Ladder and Bridge explore movement through space. They twist upwards in timeless forms, as if they are trying to escape the conflict present in Who’s the Victim? and perhaps even the binds of gravity. Yet the structure required just to extend a few feet off the ground is evident.

Predominantly a wood carver, Lisberger’s sculpture is a sketch of a moment in time and space and the life of the tree. Her work focuses on the abstraction of narrative.

The show runs June 11 through Aug. 29 at Cove Street Arts, 71 Cove St., Portland. For more information, go to www.covestreetarts.com, call 207-808-8911 or email info@covestreetarts.com.