Joy Feasley and Paul
Swenbeck will work together to create an installation at the south windows
of the National Building. The sculptural tableau will at first seem to be
a straight-up representation of a pumpkin patch. However, closer inspection
reveals something curious and sinister. The giant pumpkin is growing out
of a tiny pot, and creepy imps are peering through cracks in the fence.
Some bedevilment is at play here but it is unclear who will be the victim
of the mischief. The seemingly harmless pastoral is simply a trap for viewers
to be involved in an implied violence.
Feasley and Swenbeck are both members of Vox Populi Gallery, where both
have had recent solo exhibitions; Feasleys work was also included
in East Meets West: Folk and Fantasy from the Coasts at the
ICA in 2001. The couple's last collaboration was seen at Project Room in
Philadelphia; the installation, Ostrara, involved layered or obfuscated
elements of menace and occult symbolism combined with a healthy dash of
humor. Feasley and Swenbeck both hold BFAs from the Massachusetts College
of Art. |