Curatorial Statement

RAW

Does a fabrication methodology honest in its technique engage larger themes or is it a product of our times? Is there honesty in allowing the work to show the hand of the artist? If so, does this honesty impart something to the conversation? What does it mean when a thing is made in an honest manner?

These are just a few of the questions initiated by artists in this exhibition. Many of them work with found objects, images, or video; consistently all of the artists remain true to the material used in their work with a focused yet raw manipulation of material or content. For many of the artists, material and content are interchangeable terms, thus the honesty of fabrication is inherent from start to finish.

Such parameters for production are often difficult to navigate and amongst this group of friends, sculptors, and thinkers, this exhibition represents an ongoing conversation.

Each of the artists is sensitive to their subject’s materiality and they actively utilize it to engage their internal dialogue. This sensitivity may result in using ‘found’ materials in such a manner that the found-ness is left bare and naked to the viewer, as in the work of Brandon Truscott or Sarah Willis; or as in the case of Barry Beach and Jesse Walton, the material is typical of a construction site, and that infamous aspect is left bare and manipulated in a manner that acknowledges the origin. Others are more esoteric in the conceptualizations, and the source content can be socio-political commentary on the home, culture, or more directly related to personal memory such as the works of Izumi Yokoyama, Kit Rosenberg, or Ben Echeverria.

Notions of value are discussed through a variety of the works: an object is given new value; Internet video becomes a point of discussion; or the material is manipulated in such a way that its ephemeral nature denies commoditization. Consistently, these artists challenge notions of value and transcend craft to a deep respect for a primal presence in the work; these artists have the sensitivity to sense that presence and their respect for it shows in the works. A socio-political perspective in many of the works drives this respect. The works address the viewer.

It could be said that there is an art historical context, given Fluxus, Minimalism, and even Conceptualism; however, what is being said in these works is less about theory and more about humanism. The artists in this exhibition grapple with subject matter that is very personal and specific to their perspective. This humanistic approach is perhaps a political or sociological statement; for the purposes of this exhibition what is hoped, is that their honesty lends itself to a thoughtful and straightforward dialogue. Throughout all the works in this exhibition the works strongly identify their maker, or more, specifically, they are raw extensions of the human maker.


J K Melvin 2008

RAW v2

The first of many, I hope that others will use this blog as a means for communication related to this curatorial project at Root Division in November 2009. I am extremely excited about this project and am anxious to see the resultant conversations and dialogues that pass through this portal. As time goes on, myself and others will use this blog as a place to post, communicate, and collaborate.