Portland, OR –Bullseye Projects presents a group exhibition that examines our complex relationship with objects through the mixed media sculpture of Silvia Levenson, Dante Marioni, and Heidi Schwegler. The Emotional Life of Objects will be on view January 6 – March 26, 2016.
Humans have a complex relationship with objects, which can be seen as mundane artifacts but also become enmeshed with meaning through human use. We often use objects as placeholders for our emotions, for memories, and as extensions of ourselves. They are imbued with useful, aesthetic, or sentimental purpose and this can be fulfilled, exploited, ignored or frustrated. The lives of objects are rich and full. Each object is the culmination of the history that made its creation possible and the individual story of where it has been. The work in The Emotional Life of Objects looks past the commonplace or decorative appearance of objects to find the ways in which our lives are entangled with theirs.
Argentina-born, Italy-based artist Silvia Levenson often employs the language of marketing and affirmation to critique the empty promises of the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. In other works, Levenson juxtaposes weapons with cultural symbols of safety and romance, pointing out the conflicts that simmer just below the surface. Similarly, Portland-based Heidi Schwegleruses everyday objects in her conceptual sculptures. She often transforms discarded, abused, and irreverent objects into meticulously crafted artworks. The mimetic translation of ephemera into materials such as glass, metal, or concrete subverts function and original intention, drawing attention to the form and the use or misuse of a particular object. Dante Marioniis known for combining classical forms and bold color choices with seemingly effortless craft. This is especially apparent when he turns his attention toward what what he coyly calls “cups.” The Venetian goblet is considered one of the foundations of classical glass-blowing technique. Dante’s Ten Circles was a project lasting from 1995 to 2004 in which Marioni worked with Bullseye’s glass chemist Sam Andreakos to develop new glass colors and explore these new formulations in the iterative process of goblet making. These “cups,” through their technical and chemical mastery, hold our aspirations, desire and awe.