A Sum of Its Parts

B A R NA R D C O L L E G E , C O L U M B I A U N I V E R S I T Y

A SUM OF ITS PARTS V I S UA L A RT S S E N I O R M I D - Y E A R S H O W C ATA L O G U E

1

CLAIRE AUSTIN-KULAT

S u bj ec tho o d is an inevit able p ar t o f co n scio u sn ess. On e c annot avoid b e comi n g a su b j e ct , wh eth er tha t sub je ct hood p re s e nts it se lf a s, fo r ex a m pl e, a n Ame rican sub je ct , a fe m a le su b j e ct , a qu eer su bj ect , a black sub je ct , o r a co m b in a t i on o f su bj ect s. Sub je ct hood is a n o t io n o f h ow o n e si tua tes one se lf as a re sult of p h ysica l, in t e l lec tu a l , a nd e mot ional re lat ion sh ip s w it h t h e o u t si de wo r l d . My work exp lore s t h e fo r m a t io n o f subj ec th o od in an e ra of scree n s – sp e cif ic a ll y, the qu es t ion of how one d eve lo p s a n o t io n o f su bj ec tho od whilst b e ing sub j e ct e d t o t h o u s a nds o f i m a ge s and rep re se nt at io n s eve r yd ay. I f i n d my i n spi rat ion in t he id e a of t h e I d e o lo g ica l S t ate Appa ra tus – t hat is, t he con cep t p ro p o se d

by French philos op he r Louis Alt h u sse r t h a t d e s c ri bes a ppa rat us e s s uch as e d uc a t io n , co m mu n i c a ti o n, a n d cult ure as ins t it ut ion s t h a t e n fo rce h e gem o n i c i d e olo g y – and how it wo rk s t o cre a t e 3 a n d rei nfo rc e an id e a of t he “ id e al su b j e ct . ” I n my i nsta l lat ion, I exp lore how t e lev isio n w o rk s t o fo r m a n d mold t he ind ivid ual’s n o t io n o f su b j ec tho o d. I f Ame rican t e levision is p re su m e d t o b e a m i c r o c os m of Ame rican socie t y, I w ish t o i nve sti g a te how t he p rolife rat ion o f ce r t a in rep resenta ti o ns of sub je ct s has an e f fe ct o n t h e in d iv i du a l ’s c o ncep t ion of b e ing an id e a l su b j e ct . I a m pa r ti c ul a rly int e re st e d in how t e lev isio n cre a t es thi s n o t ion of an id e al sub j e ct , a n d wh a t h a p pen s wh en an ind ivid ual d oe s n o t se e it se lf a s a n i dea l sub je ct . I hop e t hat my w o rk fo rce s t h e vi ewer to consid e r how t he s e t e lev ise d rep re s e nta ti o n s h ave had an imp act on t h e ir own n o t i on s o f subj e ct hood and also on h ow t h ey v iew o t h er subj ec ts.

M O L LY B RY C K msbryck@gmail.com | http://mollybryck.com

In t o d ay’s mo d er n w or l d , w i t h l i fe m oving a mile a minu t e, whe re fa c t or y p r od u c t i on va l u es q u antity ove r quality, an d c e r t a i nl y ove r or i gi n a l i t y, a n d ver y little appre ciatio n is le f t fo r t he a r t i s t ’s t ou ch , I w a s i n t e re s te d in cre ating a b o dy o f w o r k t ha t e l u c i d a t e s t h e b ea u t y that lie s in us ing a h an d -m ad e p i e c e of p ot t e r y. I s e e g re a t value in the co mfo r t a nd si m p l e b e a u t y of s i t t i n g d ow n fo r that mo r ning c o f fe e ra t he r t ha n g rab b i n g i t on t h e go, a nd re ally appre ciat ing t he b o nd bet w e en a r t i s t a n d c on s ume r that this cre at e s. I v i ew my w or k a s a n ex a m p l e of rel a tio nal ae s the tics, a c o nc ep t f i r st c on c eive d of by Fre n ch ar t critic N ico las Bou r r i aud ; a r t t h a t foc u s es on c re a t i n g s o cial e nv iro nme nt in whi ch p e o p l e c a n c om e t o get h er t o p ar take in a s hare d ac t iv i t y. Al t ho ug h e a t i n g a m ea l or d r i nk ing o ne ’s mo r nin g c o f fe e c an b e a s ol i t a r y a c t iv i t y, I s ee my s e lf as a the c at a l yst i n c re a t i n g t h i s s h a re d m om e n t , whe the r the mo men t i s share d b et w e en mu l t i p l e p e op l e in that mo me nt, o r wh et he r i t c re ates a s y m b ol i c a l l y s h a re d mo me nt be tw e e n ar t i st a nd c o nsu m er. I w a n t t o fi gh t t h e co mmo nly he ld be lief t ha t c ra f t a n d d e s i gn a re s om eh ow le s s e r than “hig h” ar t . The w ay I se e i t , p ot t er y i s j u s t l i ke any ar t fo r m. I f a wo r k o f a r t c an h ol d you r m or n i n g c of fee, all the be tte r!

Fo r my c ur re nt p r oj e c t , e n t i t l e d “ Li fe Af te r Vitrif icatio n,” I w a nt t o ex p l o re t h e r ol e c era m i c s c a n play in o ur live s, t h e r i ch l i fe t ha t fu n c t i on a l p ot t e r y c a n have af te r it le ave s t h e a r t i st s’ ha n d s. I a m p r i m a r i l y i n t e re s te d in the link fu n c t i o nal p o t t e r y c a n c rea t e b e t w ee n a r tis t and co ns ume r an d t he b e a ut y a n d c om for t h a n d m a d e po tte r y can add to sim p l e d ai l y fo od - rel a t e d r ou t i n e s. For t his bo dy o f w o rk , I w ant e d t o d i sp l ay my c era m i c s i n a d om e s tic e nv iro nme nt, u p on she l ve s a n d t abl e s i n a ki t ch e n s et t ing to hig hlig ht its fu n c t i o nal i t y, a l on gs i d e p h ot o g ra p h s of pe o ple us ing the p o t t e r y I have give n t h e m or t h a t t h ey have bo ug ht f ro m me, show i ng t he l i fe t h a t my p ot t e r y h a s af te r it le ave s the st u d i o ( and / o r g a l l er y ) . I a m a l w ay s h appie s t whe n I ’m mak i ng p o t t e r y i n t e n d e d for p eop l e I l ove w ith a s pe cif ic reaso n t hat t hi s p i ec e of p ot t e r y i s i n t ende d fo r this s pe c ific p e r so n, and I w a n t t o d oc u m e n t t h a t re latio ns hip.

5

N O S I L L N A E H O C alc2205@barnard.edu

As a n asp iring s cie nt ist an d so m e o n e who enj oy s mak ing ima ge s, my a r t e f fe ctivel y br i d ge s t wo imp or t ant asp e ct s o f my i den ti ty, since I d raw on scie nt if ic t h e m e s, spec i f i c a l ly t he me s in ce ll and m o le cu la r bi o l o g y, a re lat ive ly new fie ld t h a t st u d ie s pr o c esses at size s t oo small t o se e w it h the na ked eye or eve n a micro sco p e in m o st c a se s, t o cre at e nar rat ive a n d f ig u ra tive a r t that hop e fully make s ce r t a in id e a s m o re rel a table. I als o aim t o in sp ire a n a pprec i a ti on of t he e le g ant co m p lex it y o f the c el l a nd t he wid e varie t y of st ru ct u re s a n d pr o c ess e s ge ne rat e d t hrou g h o u t t h e evo l uti o n of life. I use t he cu r re n t ly u n der sto o d mole cular and b ioche m ica l b a si s o f dive rs e ce llular p roce s se s t o cre a t e n a r ra tive drawings, p aint ings, a n d a n im a ti o n s th a t d ramat ize t he s e p roce sse s u sin g a c o m bi nat ion of figurat ive repre se n t a t io n a n d i m a ges of ce llular st ruct u re s, p ro t e in c o m pl exes, and ot he r imp or t ant m o le cu le s.

I h o pe to cre at e infor mat ive, re la t able, a n d vi sua l l y c omp e lling ima ge s t ha t h ig h lig h t the c o m plex and d ramat ic b e hav io r o f t h e c o re pr o c es se s we cannot ob s e r ve d ire ct ly, bu t wh o se cor re ct funct ion is v it a l t o o u r h ea l th a n d our ve r y exis t e nce.

7

M AT T I F I S H E R

This body of work has come to fruition through the completion of many dif ferent sta ges. This jour ney beg an a few years a go when I be g an creating various photo g raphy books, with horses as the subject matter, which dealt with capturing them in a rare and jarring fashion. Through capturing countless perspectives and vanta ge points, I am able to bring forw ard a new perspective on these animals that might otherwise go unnoticed. This series of books led me to desire something more from these ima ges. The next step of this process is to take these ima ges of f the pa ges of the books and on to the w alls of a g aller y.

Using canvas, oil paints, acr ylics, wood, and other materials, I have decided to make sta ge of my project a reality.

I am ver y interested in exploring what perspective truly means, and I feel that these works must be eng a ged with through these various avenues in order to justly understand them and interact with them. The medium I have chosen is unique, like my ima ges, and I am interested in bringing to gether various mediums to make this project as rare as the ima ges and subject matter themselves. The act of painting is an old for m of creating ar t. Horses are similar, in that they were our primar y for m of transpor tation, w arfare, and pleasure. Horses were the subject matter of ar tists such as De Vinci and are an old subject matter to be depicted. This act of bringing two longstanding aspects of the ar t for m and our culture to gether is something that has encoura ged me to put these ima ges onto canvas. This installation sparks a dialo gue as well as a coming to gether of ar t for ms in order to culminate in the completion of my thesis. Displayed to gether in c lose proximity, these ima ges interact with one another, yet are also treasured individually.

9

CAMILLE GALLARDO cag2172@barnard.edu

A l i fe wi thout ar t is not a life a t a ll. S in ce I w a s a l i tt le girl, t he b e aut y h a s a lw ays c a ptiva ted me in my e nvironme n t , wh ich m ea ns I a m cons t ant ly insp ire d t o b e d o o dl e, draw, and hone st ly, jus t cre a t e a ll k in d s o f pi ec es from s culp t ure t o s ke t ch in g.

I have pre d ominant ly worke d o n ca nva se s a n d di f fere nt for mat s t hat are ab o u t my si ze o r smalle r.

My l a test s e rie s of work s are h e av ily in f l uenc ed by my last t rip t o Ja p a n in t h e sum m er of 2013. I vis it e d 15 t e m p le s in To kyo a nd Kyot o. The b right a n d co lo rf u l wo o dc a r vi ngs, t he sy mme t r y, t h e d e t a ils a n d m o st of all, t he b alance be t w e e n t h e o r na te a n d t he s imp le we re ab s o lu t e ly fa sc i n a ti n g to me. For t his cur re nt se rie s, I a m tr yi ng to re-cont ext ualize t he t ra d it io n w it h the m o der n by not only incorp o ra t in g h a n d drawn a nd hand p aint e d mot ifs, bu t a lso by u si n g newe r mat e rials s uch as sp ray p a in t .

My wo r k trie s t o find t he b alance b e t w e e n the tra di ti on of Bud d his t sy mb o ls a n d t h e m o der n c ur re nt cont ext of my co lle ge life.

Rec en tl y, my life has b e e n a r o lle rco a st e r a n d I w a n t t o find t ranq uilit y a n d a se n se o f ba l a nc e in my work . I would like fo r my wo r k to be k ind of vis ual ge t aw ay.

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MEGAN MAQUERA http://meganmaquera.com | meganmaquera@gmail.com

Tensi o n s a nd various op p os ing fo rce s fa scin a t e m e a n d I bel i eve t hat t he p oint at wh ich o p p o sit e s a t t ra c t, m eet, and mar r y is p ar t icu la rly reve a lin g ab o ut a ny c o nt rove rs ial or d ivid e d su b j e ct . I n my a r t I a i m to exp ose an ar ray of m o m e n t s: wh e n t h e exter i o r world me e t s t he int e rio r h o m e, wh e n o rg a n i c m a terials int e rs e ct wit h t h e p ro d u ct s o f t e chn o l o g y, and whe n t he b e aut y o f life is co n f r onted by the b e aut y of d e cay. In my a r t t h e se m om ents a re e ach p re se nt e d and i n d ia lo g u e wit h o n e a no th er t hrough a single, d ist ille d in st a lla t i on .

Wi th i n a h i st orical cont ext I am p a r t icu la rly in s p i red by tensions b e t we e n t he de co ra t ive a r t s o f the 18th ce nt ur y and cont e mp o ra r y f u r n it u re d e si g n, a s we ll as t he t e nsions in a u t h o rsh ip a n d a ppr o pr i at ion as p re s e nt e d by p h o t o g ra p h e r S h er r i e L evi ne and re ady-mad e pio n e e r, Ma rce l 1 3 D u ch a m p. Over t he p ast t wo ce nt urie s, t h e q u e st i on o f, “Wha t is ar t ? � has in p ar t be e n a d d re sse d by the r o l e o f an ar t work in t he co n t ex t o f a p riva t e resi den ce. What is t he ae st he t ic a n d f u n ct i on a l di f ference b e t we e n a p aint in g p u rch a se d a n d h un g o n a living room w all b e c a u se it m a t ch es t h e c o l o r of a s ofa, or an e lab ora t e ly e n g rave d d i nn er w a re set use d t o e nt e r t ain fa n cy g u e st s?

S h er r i e L evi ne, fur t he r more, exa m in e d in t e rio r d e co ra ti ng a s an ar t t hrough her p h o t o g ra p h y, wh i l e questi o ning t he role of t he ar t ist , in c lu d in g h er sel f a s phot o g rap he r. Wit h Duch a m p ’s id e a s for prec eden ce, b ot h ar t is t s have in sp ire d m e t o u s e rea dy- m a de t ools t o cons t ruct a h o m e - a s- a r t o b j ec t a n d examine how t he ave ra ge cit ize n in t e rac ts wi th changing d e finit ions o f a r t a n d t e n s i on s i n c a pi t alis m wit hin t he ir ow n e nv iro n m e n t .

J U L I A M U R R AY

Th e o ne me morable t ime t hat I h a d t o f ig h t ba c k tea r s in t he p re s e nce of a wo rk o f a r t w a s u po n viewing a ve r y s mall p o r t ra it o f a g i r l by Re noir. In all it s p ure b e a u t y, t h e pa i nti ng mad e me fe e l s afe, a n d in d o in g so, i t br o u ght me int o t he p re s e n t m o m e n t , the w ay a s e c lud e d p ond among u n cu lt iva t ed wo o ds can d o.

I n th a t re g ard , I have alw ays a p p re cia t e d the a r t a nd t he cre at ion of ar t t h a t o f fe rs sa nc tua r y. Cons e q ue nt ly, my cu r re n t a r t isti c pra c ti c e is ab out find ing a w ay t o re co n c i l e the i mp osing hars hne ss and co m p lica ti o n s o f realit y wit h t he not ion of sa n ct u a r y i n si m pl i c it y, nat ure and b e aut y.

I str i p down t he original int en t io n fo r my pi ec es to i t s e ss e nt ial for ms and co re fe e li n g a n d go from t he re, org ani ca lly le t t in g thi n g s h a pp e n as I cre at e, le avin g mu ch u p to i m pul se. Thus, my ar t has b e co m e im bu ed wi th imp re ss ions of sp irit u a lit y.

15

SARA GRACE POWELL

http://saragracepowell.com | saragracepowell@gmail.com

In 1 9 5 2 , t he A m e r i c a n P s ych i a t r i c A s so ciatio n dro ppe d t h e t e r m “hyst e r i a . ” O n e c om m on m od e o f cure fo r this p at ho l o g i c a l i n f l i c t i on w a s m a s s a ge ; i n the 1920s te chn olo g y i nt e r ve n e d a n d m e ch a n i ze d c u re aro s e. The mo s t ef fec t ive c ure re s u l t e d i n p l e a s u re a n d pain: the cure w as achi eve d whe n t h e p a t i en t rea ch e d a “hy s te rical paroxys m ,” c o nt e m p ora r i l y kn ow n a s a n org as m. Thus, the me d i c al fe ma l e b ody w a s s eve re d fr om a ctive de s ire. This seve ranc e c re a t ed a s p a c e i n wh i ch a p a t ho lo g izing, bio po lit ic al p r o je c t w a s c ol l ec t ivel y ( i f u n c on s cio us ly ) exe cute d.

Th e “d i se a se d ” i n d iv i d u a l s i n t h i s s p a c e mo s t o f te n w e re u p pe r mi d d l e c l a s s C a u c a s i a n fe m a l e s. The s e infauxme rc ial s re f l e c t t ha t d a t a , a n d i n c or p ora t e h is to rical adve r tis in g as w e l l as t h e my r i a d s y m p t om s of hy s te ria.

The D eve l o c o r p i n fa u x m erc i a l s s t er i lize s arcas tically, h ope f ul l y b r i ng i n g ab ou t u n c a n ny s i milaritie s be tw e e n p ast a nd p re se n t , c u l l i n g ou t ves t i ge s of bio pow e r in current a dve r t i si ng s ch em a a n d c on s u m er i s m. He re, the ve r y fo r m o f t he i nfom e rc i a l s t u t t e r s a n d reve als its e lf as an in fa ux m e rc i a l , bu i l d i n g d es i re a n d fab r i cating ne ce s s ity.

H um o r i s a d e s t ab i l i z i n g forc e.

The p ut r i d scu l p t u ra l p r od u c t s s e r ve as a cataly s t; a c at a l yst fo r an ab s u rd p ol e m i c . Th i s p ole mic lurk s in my p rac t i c e : i t c o n j u re s u p t h e u n c a n ny n a t u re o f repre s s io n, as w e l l as e ng a ges q u e s t i on s of u t i l i t a r i anis m and s y s te ms o f me ani ng ma ki n g.

S u ch s y s t e m s a l s o e me rge thro ug h t h e ma t e r i a l an d t em p ora l fa c e t s of my w o rk . Fo r examp le, “… ( and o n)” i m p l i e s a k i n et i c p ot ential w ith the mat eri al s o f i t s syn t h es i s b en ea t h t h e c a s t s, multiply ing w ith each i t e rat i o n of t h e p i ec e. Fu r t h er, t h e w ax mixture is ext rem e l y so f t , an d ooze s a t a n a l m os t i m pe rceptible s pe e d wh en ex p o se d to t h e h e a t of g a l l e r y l i gh ts. This te mpo ral fac e t a l so sur fa c es i n “ S l i m e M ol d M on ochro me,” a pie ce t h a t must b e fe d . M on och r om e i s a m is no me r me ant to en g a ge q ue st i o n s of c on t a m i n a t i on ( wh ethe r they be bio lo g i c al o r p o l i t ic a l ) i n t h e rea l m of “ p u re” ar t.

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NICCI YIN http://www.nicciyin.com | nicci@nicciyin.com

I a m fa scinat e d by t he e lus ive a n d a rb itra r y qua lit ie s of what we t ake fo r g ra n t e d to be f i xed . M y p roje ct b e g an w it h a q u e sti o n: Are sp ace s t ruly rep re sen t able ? My pr o c ess of t ak ing ap ar t , d is t o r t in g, ab stra c ti ng, glit ching, and re con st ru ct in g m a ps i s a me ans of t e st ing t he d iscu rsive l i m i ts o f map s as a visual lang u a ge. Th e po ssi bi l i t ie s of d e cons t ruct ing a n d re a ssem bl i ng t he se s cre e nshot s fro m G o o g le Ma ps a re e nd le s s. Bord e rs, wh ich co n str uc t o ur id e a of sp ace, can p ro d u ce rea l , i deolo gical, and s ocial ef fe ct s, a n d a re c o nseq ue nt ly re ar range d by my e d i ti n g pr o ce s se s, t he ir fict ion s ex p o se d .

To ph ysi cally int e r ve ne in t he v isu a l la n g u a ge o f map s, I chose s ilk scre e n a n d m o n o pr i nt , as t he se are t act ile a n d b o d il y gestu res of mark mak ing. Th is a e st h e t i c i nter vent ion is my at t e mp t t o h ig h lig h t th e c o n struct ion of sp ace, and it s in ab ility to be stably d e fine d by visua l la n g u a ge a nd bo rde rs.

19

CAROLINE YOPES

caroline.yopes@gmail.com | flickr.com/carolineyopes/sets

M y go a l i s t o ad d re s s man’s p sych o lo g ica l b rea ki n g po int and how t hat is ex p re sse d b o t h p hysi c a l l y a nd me t ap horically. By ex p lo rin g t h e rel a ti o n sh i p b e t we e n t he b roke n b o t t le a n d t h e h u m a n psyche, I hop e t o find fur t h e r w ays t o c o nvey th e be aut y and inhe re nt p a in in a llowi n g o nesel f to e mb race one s b re a k in g p o in t . I n fe a r i n g th e ange r, p ain, or sad ne ss o f b re a k i n g down, o ne re linq uis he s t he p o ssib ilit y o f m o m enta r y c larit y. I exp lore t he se co n cep t s a s I mysel f go t hrough my own for m o f b re a k in g a nd re- bui l d ing and se e how t h a t ca n b e re f l e c ted a n d morp he d in t he me d i u m s o f g la ss, a d h esive, a nd p aint .

Si m i l a r to how our own e mot io n a l sh a d ow s c a n bu m p and jolt whe n we col lid e wit h o n e a no ther, so d oe s t he mat e rial I w o rk w it h . I w a n t to f reeze t hat mome nt of b re a k in g a n d p ul l i t a pa r t unt il it fe e ls p hy sica lly st ra in e d , ye t bea uti f ul and e t he re al. Broken g la ss ca st s ephem era l s had ows t hat collid e a n d evo lve, wh i l e f ra g m ent s of glas s re main su sp e n d e d in t i me a nd space : t he shard s come t o rep re se n t f ra g m ents of p hys ical p ain and su sp e n d e d b e a u ty. Th ese whit e fra gme nt s s h u t t e r in t h e ir s t ra nge, straine d st illne s s t hat is fa r m o re t ha n j ust fo rce d , it is p ushe d t o i t s lim it . I a im t o c rea te a d ialo gue of t he s us p e n d e d b re a k d own a s a mome nt of not jus t p ain , bu t b e a u t y a nd h o pe.

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TABOO challenging colonial and patriarchal norms since 1991

SST TE EPPH HA AN NIIE E WA WASSSSE ER R

steph.wasser@gmail.com

Wha t yo u see b e fore you is t he be g in n in g s o f a m a g a z i ne. Th e finis he d p rod uct wil l b e a le g it im a t e m a g a z i ne, g l o ssy and b ound , and dist ribu t e d wid e l y a c r o ss c a m p us, fre e for p e op le t o t a ke a n d re a d .

I n a n ef fo r t to ins t ig at e a d is cuss io n ab o u t t o p ics t h a t a re c o nsid e re d t ab oo t hat sho u ld n’ t b e, a n d t h i ng s tha t a re not cons id e re d t ab o o t h a t sh o u ld b e, I h ave c reat e d TA BOO ma g azin e, “ C h a lle n g in g Co l oni a l a nd Pat riarchal N or ms Sin ce 1 9 9 1 . ” . I t ’s ab o ut c r i ti qui ng p op cult ure and su g ge st in g t h e s or t o f i ssu es I wis h ma g azine s c ove re d . Wh ile I w o ul d l i ke th is t o b e e d ucat ional, I ch o se t o u se res ourc es l i ke blo gs in ord e r t o ma ke t h e se t o p ics a c c e ssi bl e. As a q ue e r whit e cisgen d e re d wo m a n , I w i l l do my bes t t o rep re se nt iss u e s a p p licable t o a l l gender s, size s, ab ilit ie s, race s, a n d e t h n icit ie s, a n d to m a ke t his ma g azine ap p e alin g a n d h e lp f u l 23 t o a s m a ny pe op le as p oss ible.

A s a tra nsfer t o Bar nard , I had no id e a h ow im p o rt a n t fem i n i sm would b e come t o me. Th is sch o o l’s a c t ivi sm ha s ins p ire d me t o ge t invo lve d a ll ove r c a m pu s, bei ng a p e e r e d ucat or fo r We ll- Wo m a n , t h e Ra pe Cr i sis /A nt i-Viole nce Sup p o r t C e n t e r, a n d Fe mS ex (a seme st e r-long p e e r facilit a t e d d iscu ss i o n g r o up de d icat e d t o t he e mp owe r m e n t o f t h e s ex u a l sel f ). The Bar nard bub ble ha s sp o ile d m e so mu ch , a nd even whe n I just s t ep of f ca m p u s t o t h e n e a rest n ewss t and , I am facing he a d lin e s t h a t im medi a tel y po p t hat bub ble. The goa l o f t h is p ro j e ct i s t o uti l i ze i mp or t ant writ e rs and re so u rce s a n d p a i ri n g th a t wit h d e s ign and p hot o g ra p h y t o cre a t e a m o c k ver si o n of what I w ant p op cu lt u re t o lo o k l i ke. Here a re t he b e ginning of ar t ic le s I h o p e t o c over, but th ere are p le nt y more t o co m e !

J U L I A W O L KO F F

juliarwolkoff@gmail.com

I m a ke a r t in d e fe ns e of my in t e re st s ra t h e r t h an i n pu r suit of t he m. M y ext en sive st u dy o f ei g hteenth- c e nt ur y Fre nch d e cora t ive a r t s d ist i ng u i sh es me from my p rofe ss ion a l fa m ily a n d f r i e nds wh o se e only g audy p orce la in s. Th e se a re so m e o f t he mos t lavis h and b e a u t if u l o b j ec ts ever m ad e, and have conse qu e n t ly le d m e t o bec o m e i nt e re s t e d in minimalism in my own l i fe. Th e bl a nk whit e but t ext ure d p la st e r p ie ce s ref l ec t my personal id e olo g y ( in co n t ra st t o my a c adem i c i de olo g y ) t hat rep e ls ob j e ct fe t ish ism .

These c a nvase s and s mall ve ss e ls ca st in p la st e r m i m i c pa int ings and d e corat ive a r t s o b j e ct s d i spl ayed i n mus e ums. By craf t in g b o t h t h e m oc k pa i nti ngs and d e corat ive ar t s wit h ch e a p wh i te pl a ster, my work p rof fe rs an in st it u t io n a l c r i ti que. The hie rarchy t hat re le g a t e s d e co ra t ive a r ts to me re d e corat ion and d e n ie s t h e m a hi sto r y o r cont ext ual b ack g rou n d in mu se u m s ne g a tes t he his t orie s of anyo n e o t h e r t h a n t h e g rea t wh it e male p aint e r, who is h a ile d a s a ge ni us. B y trans for ming p aint ing in t o o b j e ct s, m ade o f the same mat e rial as t he ir “ d e co ra t ive � c o un ter pa r ts, t he viewe r is re sit uat e d in re la t io n t o th e tra di tional mod e of muse um d isp lay, o f fe ri ng i n si g ht int o how we view ar t a n d wh a t w e a re ta ug ht to consid e r [ good ] ar t .

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OPENING RECEPTION: 11/25/13 6:00PM L O U I S E M C C AG G G A L L E RY, D I A NA C E N T E R , 4 T H F L .

3 0 0 9 B R OA DWAY, N E W Y O R K , N Y