PROJECT
5
November 7 – December 20, 2014
Stranger Than Function
Chris Vorhees, Folded Table, 2014, Plywood, Laminate, Table Legs, 8’ x 8’ x 8’
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Matt Lynch, LACKtose Tolerant, 2014, Ikea LACK Table, Pizza Boxes, Steel Rod, 14’ x 22” x 22”
PROJECT 5:
Stranger Than Function Stranger Than Function is an exhibition of objects by Matt Lynch and Chris Vorhees, who have been collaborating for more than two decades innovating forms that invite audiences to look closely at the ways materials and objects infuse our quality of life. Through the process of creating artwork with faithful attention to the original, to the so-called real, or quoted object, these artists test their understandings of the mechanics and poetry of form and the possibility of the materials that comprise our built environment. Their effort is made with keen attention paid to the value attributed to the forms that shape our habitats. This work is realized through their process of making to completion the quoted object. For Project 5, Lynch and Vorhees pepper Zephyr Gallery with a set of objects that challenge prevailing notions about style and consumption. Some of the objects are made collaboratively, while others are individual projects. These parts make up the whole exhibition, bringing into sharp focus a confluence of moments when domestic space is rendered absurd by our voracious appetite for style, an insatiable love of consumption, and the intrinsically beautiful gestures of the DIY movement. Each of the works shown in this exhibition can be dissected into a related set of elements that reveal the vantage points and fixations of these artists. Lynch and Vorhees pride themselves on offering cue and clues within each form to guide the viewer through the act of reading the artwork. However, there are occasions when the artists feel it is advantageous to provide contextual information to illuminate the work more fully. For instance, their collaborative work Homemade Plywood from 2005 that is an extreme take on the DIY movement. The artist felled a tree and sent it to a veneer-peeling factory. After collecting the veneer, they constructed their own sheet of 1/2”, 4’x’8’ plywood by hand gluing and clamping in a “homemade” press. In 2010, Lynch made Sandroid 14 as a gift for his collaborator Vorhees. Sandroid 14 is an enhanced Fein 9-55-13 Dust Free Turbo II Vacuum, which Lynch created by integrating an array of amenities like a tool rest, drink holder, tissue holder and a trashcan. Lynch has himself used Sandroid 14 when assisting Vorhees on elaborate cabinet and furniture making jobs. Lynch and Vorhees met at art school at Ball State, Indiana in 1989 where through their participation in informal collaborative events and art activities they realized their shared sense of humor, Midwestern sensibility, and interest in sculptural materiality, woodworking and furniture. They both worked at Gordy’s Fine Art & Framing, Muncie, Indiana and have continued to collaborate on projects, including through SIMPARCH. Lynch is a co-founder of SIMPARCH (with Steve Badgett), and Vorhees is a long-standing technical collaborator. By 2000 they had begun collaborating on projects such as free basin (2000), Clean Livin’ (2003), El Tubo Completo (2004), and Hot House (2005), Hydromancy (2006), Drum ‘n’ Basin (2007), and Sylvas Capitalis (2009). These projects have enjoyed the attention of critics and curators interested in the analysis of installation art, art in public spaces, and art as social practice.
YASMEEN SIDDIQUI 2014
Exhibition History of Collaborative Projects George’s Supermodified Toyota (1996). 4’ x 2’ x 18”. Plywood, vinyl, wood, 1985 Celica. Possibly the first sculptural collaboration between Matt Lynch with Chris Vorhees, Steve Lacy, and George Shumar. Chris Vorhees, Steve Lacy, George Shumar, Christine Moon, and Samantha Fisher founded Sandbox Gallery, Muncie, Indiana, which remained active November 1995–May 1997. They added a flaming vinyl spoiler and a wooden hand on the windshield wiper to George’s rusty 1985 Celica. King of The Road (1997). 30’ x 12’ x 12’. Denim, gingham, 1985 GMC Safari, industrial fan, generator, snaps, plastic, lights. Matt Lynch made the work for the art car parade in Houston, Texas. Chris Vorhees (and Steve Lacy) were part of the team that drove it down from Omaha for the event. That trip laid the groundwork for Object D’ART. Object D’ART (1997–2000). 10’ x 15’x 8’ (plus automobile dimensions). Construction materials, 1973 Dodge Dart Swinger, small-works art exhibition, utility trailer. A traveling juried art exhibition that was put together through a collaboration between Steven Lacy and Chris Vorhees, from Sandbox, and Matt Lynch. The Object D’ART gallery housed a juried exhibition of 24 works by 21 artists. An 8’ x 7’ x 11’ gallery space, complete with hardwood floors, track lighting, and white walls was constructed within a large shipping crate on a utility trailer. The artists hauled this trailer/object/ gallery across the United States via a 1973 Dodge Dart. The competition was open to all artists and advertised through a nationally distributed prospectus. The exhibition was juried by Jack Massing and Michael Galbraith (The Art Guys) of Houston, Texas. Between 1998 and 1999, Object D’ART traveled over 15,000 miles, visiting universities, art centers, and community events. Visits included a performance-oriented artist presentation. Homemade Plywood (2005). 4’ x 8’ x 1/2”. Wood veneer, glue. An extreme take on the DIY movement, to the point of making your own building materials. The artist felled a tree and sent it to a veneer-peeling factory. After collecting the veneer, they constructed their own sheet of plywood by hand, gluing and clamping it in a “homemade” press. It was part of the “Pictures and Statues” show at Country Club Gallery and Publico Gallery, Cincinnati, Ohio. Last Supper (2006). 24’ x 3’ x 7’. Wood, laminate, prefab table legs, food. SIMPARCH with Chris Vorhees facilitated an event that connected the exhibition space to the “kitchen”. The banquet featured a festive arrangement of dishes from local eateries and friends of Publico. Commissioned by Publico, Cincinnati, Ohio, for its farewell set of events and exhibitions after its fiveyear run. Home Office (2008). 12’ x 12’ x 7’. SIMPARCH with Chris Vorhees. Variable dimensions. Wood, laminate, steel, electronics. A custom-built desk environment addressing the economies of space and the marketplace. Office and gallery desks, often the ergonomic seats of authority, are, in this instance, twisted into an ironic monument to solution-based design and the insistence of office culture. Home Office uses a standard eight-foot folding table as the base element
as well as excessive leisure flourishes such as cup holders and an entertainment center. Commissioned by Country Club Projects, Cincinnati, Ohio. Out on the Weekend: The Taking of Leisure Mountain (2007). 20’ x 40’ x 30’. Salvaged lawn chairs, hardware. A sculptural installation, performance, and live radio broadcast. The work was a collaboration between SIMPARCH, Academy Records (Steve Lacey’s moniker since 2000), and Chris Vorhees. It was commissioned for the 2007 Depauw Biennial in Greencastle, Indiana. Depauw students participated in the performance on April 21 and it was broadcast on WGRE, the campus radio station. The structure stood for several months. Leisure Mountain reflected labor, leisure, and cycles of consumption. Wigloo (2008). SIMARCH with Chris Vorhees. 9’ x 16’ x 16’. Galvanized steel, plastic, audio equipment, and performers. The stage for several musical acts and performances through the duration of the art fair. The program was curated by Matt Distel. The structure consists of two custom half-geodesic dome kits made of electrical conduit and engineered to swivel into one another. Commissioned by Country Club Projects for the North American Dealer’s Association’s Art Fair in Miami, Florida. Uppers and Downers (2012). 45’ x 24’ x 36”. Wood, PVC sheet, plumbing, paint, LED lighting, pump, sink, hardware. A site-specific response developed by SIMPARCH with Chris Vorhees in the Smart Museum’s lobby. It presents a nonfunctional composition of kitchen cabinetry and fixtures that reflect on home improvement and storage aspirations. Water cycles thru the faucet, falls to the floor, and is pumped back again while the under cabinet lights rotate through the color spectrum. Commissioned for the “Threshold Series”, Smart Museum, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois. Two Kinds of Funny (2014). 12” x 12” x 12”. Shipping Box. Traveling group show of sculpture by Matt Lynch, Ryan Mulligan, and Chris Vorhees, all of which had to fit within a cardboard shipping box used for storage and shipping between venues. Works ranged from jokes to visual puns to uncanny creations, tapping into the significant communicative power of sarcasm, humor, and the absurd. Shown at 503 Gallery, University of Cincinnati, Ohio; Atrium Gallery, Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana; University of Montevallo, Montevallo, Alabama; Department of Contemporary Art and Theater, Shepherd University, Shepherdstown, West Virginia. Shared Exhibition History at Gordy’s Fine Art & Framing, Muncie, Indiana. Gordy’s presents the projects of previous coworkers who continue to collaborate and create work, exhibiting from Chicago to New Zealand, Los Angeles to Bologna, because of their multidisciplinary collaborations spanning music, live performance, film and installation. Jokes (Gordy’s Fine Art & Framing, 2005). Matt Lynch, Chris Vorhees, George Shumar, and Steve Lacy. NEW WORK: Academy Records (Gordy’s Fine Art & Framing, 2013). Matt Lynch, Nathaniel Russell, George Shumar, and Chris Vorhees.
Artist Biographies Matt Lynch (b. 1969; lives in Cincinnati, Ohio) is a founding member of the internationally acclaimed SIMPARCH, founded in 1996. Lynch also maintains a practice creating unique sculptural and absurdly functional objects. He is Associate Professor of Art at the University of Cincinnati in the College of Design, Art, Architecture, and Planning. SIMPARCH creates large-scale artworks that examine the built environment in site-specific projects and permanent commissions. SIMPARCH’s approach is responsive to opportunity and is project driven, operating largely without a permanent studio, arranging workspace appropriate to each project. Uniting all of SIMPARCH’s projects is a concern for the work’s social potential. Acting as sites for communal interaction and social exchange, these structures infuse the languages of art and architecture with a desire to connect a diverse range of participants. Lynch received his MFA from Syracuse, NY (1995), and his BFA from Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana (1992). Chris Vorhees (b. 1972; based in Cincinnati, Ohio) is a sculptor and furniture maker by trade. Vorhees’s projects have been shown at the Henry Art Gallery (2002); Bard College (2003); the Illinois State University Art Gallery (2004); the New Center for Contemporary Art, Louisville (2007); and the Herron School of Art and Design (2010). Vorhees’ work centers on the contextualization of objects, commodification of objects, and the fetishization of design and remodeling as specifically related to the built domestic environment. Today he is attentive to the American fascination with design trends, work and leisure and the role of the artist/craftsman maker in relation to industrial production systems. He received an Efroymson Fellowship Award in 2009.
Curator Biography Yasmeen Siddiqui (b. 1971; lives in Louisville, Kentucky) is an independent writer and curator committed to articulating the innovative ways artists and architects intervene and reflect on the built environment. She is currently the Interim Critical and Curatorial Program Head at The Hite Art Institute, University of Louisville. Her writing appears on hyperallergic. com, in Flash Art, Modern Painters, NKA, The Brooklyn Rail and in exhibition catalogues. She has organized exhibitions with Do Ho Suh, Consuelo Castañeda, Pia Lindman, Linda Ganjian, Kim Holleman, Marie Sauvaitre, and Hassan Khan. She received The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts Curatorial Research Fellowship, holds a Masters in Medieval Islamic Art History, University of Toronto (1997), and a Masters in Curatorial Studies, CCS, Bard College (2005).
Exhibition Checklist Matt Lynch LACKtose Tolerant, 2014, Ikea LACK Table, pizza boxes, steel rod, 14’ x 22” x 22” Block Radio, 2001, cast concrete, 24” x 16” x 8”, Courtesy of Linda Schwartz and Richard Groot Endless Bunk, 2012, wood, paint, foam, 10” x 9” x 20” (per unit) Endless Bunk Blueprint, 2013, blueprint, 24” x 36”, Courtesy of Hazel Lynch Craftsman Bookstand, 2009, gator board, artificial apple, 26” x 26” x 14” Exquisite Patch #1, 2012, found objects, 24” x 18” x 18” Exquisite Patch #2, 2012, found objects, 18” x 18” x 18” Hometown Proud, 2012, Laser cut Chinese plywood, Gorilla Glue, 8’ x 4’ x 1/2” Sandroid, 2010, wood, paint, vacuum, sander, accessories, variable dimensions Home and Away (Alcindor), 2014, modified cinder blocks, paint, 9” x 12” x 8” Chris Vorhees Shop Light, 2013, sheet metal, neon, 4” x 48” x 6” Mountainous Blurb, 2014, acrylic, LED, 30” x 30” x 1” Floor Lamp, 2013, acrylic, LED, 1” x 48” x 22” Lean-to, 2013, pine, plywood, fluorescent light, 9’ x 6’ x 6’ 2 x 12, 2011, plywood, pine, veneer, 5’ x 4’ x 10” Beverage Holder, 2008, plywood, bottle, aluminum, 69” x 12” x 12” Folded Table, 2014, plywood, laminate, table legs, 8’ x 8’ x 8’ Leisure Sculpture, 2002, tubular steel, lawn chair webbing, 7’ x 3’ x 3’ Kraftwerk Copy, 2007, resin, 12” x 12” x 3” Matt Lynch and Chris Vorhees Collaboration Leisure Mountain Redux, 2009, lawn chairs, steel strapping, ephemera, 53” x 63” x 31”, Courtesy of Richard E. Peeler, Art Center Collection, DePaul University Homemade Plywood, 2005, soft maple, glue, 4’ x 8’ x 1/2”
Zephyr Gallery Artist Board Patrick Donley Peggy Sue Howard Chris Radtke Michael Ratterman Brenda Wirth
Artist Partners
Ken Hayden Matt Meers Robert Mitchell Joel Pinkerton Letitia Quesenberry Reba Rye
PROJECT 5: Stranger Than Function Yasmeen Siddiqui Hannah Morgan Robert Mitchell Chris Radtke Peggy Sue Howard Patrick Donley
Curator Project Manager Graphic Design Exhibition Co-Coordinator Exhibition Co-Coordinator Art Preparator
Special thanks to Kate Bonansinga and Suzanne Weaver. Front Cover: Chris Vorhees, Moutainous Blurb, 2014, Acrylic, LED, 30”x 30” x 1”, Photo Credit: Phillip Schaefer
The mission of Zephyr Gallery is to serve as a platform to incubate, advocate, and facilatate innovative ideas in art and artistic practices in the region. In 2014, Zephyr launched an ongoing Project series with curated proposal-based exhibitions as well as collaborations with universities, colleges, and cultural institutions. Project 5: Stranger Than Function is the fifth exhibition in this series.
610 East Market Street | Louisville, KY 40202 www.zephyrgallery.org | Thursday–Saturday, 11–6