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In the wake of the new economy and the sudden wealth created by the Internet,
this spring the Seattle Art Museum ventured into new territory with the
exhibit "Sewn," part of its "Documents Northwest"
series on contemporary artists in the region. In this exhibit, curators
Rock Hushka and Tara Reddy presented artists who are using fiber as a
vehicle for making sculpture: Rachel Brumer, David Chatt, Alison Gates,
Wendy Hanson, Sara Lanzillotta, and Keith Yurdana all construct artwork
using sewing techniques. While it would be impossible to dissect the entire
exhibition without writing a book on new media, four of the artists' creations
worked very web together.
Wendy Hanson's eye-catching Vanity, Fin Told, Is the Last Thing to Go,
from 1999, dominated a corner of the exhibit, Even the media Hanson uses
(clothes that don't fit, cosmetic puffs, tailor's pins, and thread) grab
the imagination as the viewer surveys what appear to be strands of DNA
that have been pulled apart. For her latest piece, Perpetual Adjustment,
rose petals were stitched and stretched in specimen boxes. The result
was then photographed, and a C-print replaces the decayed organic original.
Creating sculpture that functions as a drawing seems to be Alison Gates'
interest. Several of her pieces rely on the external element of the lighting
to create shadow drawings; for example, a swing appears on the wall when
the viewer looks past an assemblage hanging from the ceiling. Found objects
and fiber combine to create simple, elegant gestures that are very pleasing
to look at.
Beadwork serves as a labor-intensive starting point for David Chatt. The
interiors of his small sculptures contain a hidden element; nowhere is
this playfulness more clearly shown than in Artist in Residence, created
in 2001 A small, beaded houselike structure is opened up to reveal an
oversized purple easy chair. This wry commentary speaks to many artists
about their current place within culture and to the poverty of artsfunding
in the United States. Hangingon by a Thread Marble Bag [shown onpage 801
demonstrates similar playful sensibilities.
If P. T. Barnum wanted to become an artist, his work would look like Sara
Lanzillotta's sculptures. S.D. Devout's Amazing Circus Sideshows, created
in 2000-01, reveals a wall of individual shelves where all of the attractions
cti c, -doll -like sculptures of personalities such as a bearded lady,
a strongman, and other denizens of the circus-appear to taunt us. When
viewed as an installation, these dolls form a choir that melodically laughs
at our pretensions and our conformity. Lanzillotta's Martyrs of the Cloth,
created in 2000-01, give us a new look at iconography. Here are St. Lucy,
St. Therese of Lisieux, and St. Agatha charmingly depicting their own
stories. St. Lucy, patron saint of optometry, winsomely beckons to the
viewer while holding her two eyeballs on a silver platter. Bible camp
wasn't this much fun!
By presenting the exhibit "Sewn:' the Seattle Art Museum leads the
viewer into new directions. The new territory that we explore is less
worried about the distinction between art and craft and more interested
in what the artist has to say. Moving out from the old ways of doing things
has always been a hallmark of modernism, It is nice to see a museum move
with the times.
-Steven Michael Vroom
Steven Michael Vroom teaches at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle
and is a contributing editor for TheLittle City. com.
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