MATERIAL TRANSFORMATIONS

JANUARY 25, 2014 - APRIL 6, 2014

The artists of Material Transformations — Angela Ellsworth, Alison Foshee, Johnston Foster, Kirsten Hassenfeld, Rune Olsen, Lucrecia Troncoso, and Paul Villinski — all uncover symbolism in the very unconventional substances they use to construct their works of art. They find inspiration in the stuff of life — items we frequently encounter, use, and discard with rarely a second thought, such as aluminum cans, cleaning sponges, construction debris, corsage pins, masking tape, office supplies, and wrapping paper.

Manipulating and transforming these humble and common objects, the artists address a multitude of cultural and social issues including our preoccupation with consumer goods. Removed from their normal use and modified into inventive works of art, these ordinary products adopt an extraordinary second life. In their altered states, these new objects form intriguing works of art that challenge us to question our relationship to the consumer-based foundations of our modern lives while leaving behind established hierarchies between art, craft, and design.

This exhibition is organized by the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, Montgomery, Alabama.