USA Projects

Insects. Naturalia. Anatomy. My obsession with these three things forms the basis of Wunderkammer, a multi-component project that will dramatically push the scale, scope, and media of my work.

 

My studio practice is based in finely rendered graphite and colored pencil drawings, with sculptures serving the drawings either as maquettes, companion pieces, or—most importantly—frames. While exploring porcelain as a hand-built framing option at an artist residency in 2010, I realized that frames were a missed opportunity for additional storytelling; they effectively cut the narrative of a picture off at the knees. Consider, in contrast, Jan van Eyck's Ghent Alterpiece, reliquaries, illuminated maunscripts, even comic books.

 

This creative impetus is itself framed by another significant event: while at this same residency, I lost my father unexpectedly, his own story cut short. When my nephew was stillborn this year, my interest in where the body can go wrong intensified and a renewed interest in anatomical anomalies took hold.  These hugely emotional, yet very common, medical events pushed me in a direction that, while unplanned, also makes a lot of sense: I grew up poring over anatomy and physiology books, including medical anomalies and "curiosities."

 

I also grew up exploring grassy backyard microcosms, which established insects among my earliest sources of inspiration, from their physical structure to the myths we assign them. Their bodies and stories have often been stand-ins for humans in my work, but now human and insect forms are coming together to create a larger and more complete version of these tales. Clusters and swarms of insects are visual representations of emotional indicators, hiding a thing that has yet to be revealed.  In this way death is like a fairy tale with attendant timing, colors, symbols, and things hidden underneath waiting for the big reveal. It's the world behind the world that we only occasionally see into, but once we do we are changed. 

 

To build on the initial success of this work, I'm seeking your help in raising $12,000 to fund supplies for the expansion my ideas in scale and scope, which includes porcelain and mixed media narrative frames, one-of-a-kind object "mini-wunderkammer" catalogs, my solo exhibition at Packer Schopf Gallery in January 2013, collaborations with two artists, and installations of both my work and those collaborations at gallery exhibitions and museums. In the event my request is over-funded it will allow the production of additional artworks, perfect bound catalogs, and the work to travel to different museums. 

 

It's hugely ambitious project and I need your help to make it all happen. Thank you for your consideration and your support.