Installation, 2020
Installation view of recent work.
Installation, 2020
Installation view of recent work.
Installation
2020, Installation view of recent work.
Girl with Mirror, 2020, Concrete form tube, polyurethane foam, acrylic, cast plastic and magnets, dimensions variable.
Girl with Mirror, 2020, Cast plastic, acrylic and enamel, dimensions variable.
Letter From Mary, 2020, Copper, cast plastic, acrylic, and ink transfer, dimensions variable.
Royal Copenhagen, 2020, Plaster, acrylic, and ink transfer, 9 x 9 in.
Moon Jar, 2020, Vessel: Foam board, sealant, and acrylic, 12 x 12 1/2 in.
Pedestal: Plywood, sealant, and acrylic, 20 x 20 x 36 in.
Pedestal: Plywood, sealant, and acrylic, 20 x 20 x 36 in.
Apocrypha, 2020, Cast plastic, wood, acrylic on carved panel, dimensions variable.
Winged Goddess, 2019, Plaster, acrylic, and ink transfer, 4 1/2 x 4 1/2 in.
My work often references the material history of the original object it imitates through various means of perceptual deceit. Through sculpture, painting, and installation, signals of artifice point toward my interest in the inevitable material attraction held by items of luxury – for example, two-part liquid plastic replicating the properties of porcelain, or carved Styrofoam and acrylic made to appear as thrown and glazed ceramic. Navigating this approach, my work positions questions of authorship, technique, and the very substance of the aesthetic and utilitarian things that surround us. If this were to be proposed as a formula, it could be stated that my work is a combination of ‘A’ and ‘B,’ where:
▪ ‘A’ could already exist around us, while ‘B’ may not.
▪ ‘A’ could be something that feels familiar and ‘B’ eccentric.
▪ ‘A’ might be something I can realize with confidence, while ‘B’ exists with flaws or other imperfections.
My relationship to material allows my work to be inventive, pure, and original. Encompassing contradictions, my work examines specific symbols throughout the history of Western painting and sculpture as a means of inserting personal objects of desire within an established canon of ‘taste’ through two key elements. The first delves into an ornamental investigation into the markings upon the backs of collectible plates, made by centuries of artisans, to delve into a larger experiment of authenticity – from plates, to china, to figurines that present the Royal Copenhagen emblemata, founded for the famed porcelain house in the eighteenth century. The recurrence of the branding appears throughout many of my works; both in its true arrangement, as well as freer expressions and abstractions of its form. In conversation with this principal motif are works that contain allusions to the lore surrounding the origins of the Nike check logo – another symbol of ‘branding’ – rumored to have been conceived in reference to the iconic missing wing of the goddess statue of Samothrace c. 190 BC.
Part of my practice specifically emphasizes institutional modes of display; explored by the scenography of how I approach installations and exhibitions. Often, many of my works are presented upon museum pedestals that have been fabricated to appear as commercial-grade Styrofoam. Within the context of my work, the “Pink Panther” brand of construction material takes on new meaning; where elements of comedy and mystery are intertwined. Yet, within the context of collectible artifacts, be they art or décor, my work questions value through various material investigations that lead to one end: the capital of the image.