Ursula Johnson’s hybrid work blends sculpture, performance, and activism. A member of the Eskasoni Mi’kmaw First Nation on Cape Breton Island (Unama’ki in Mi’kmaw) in Nova Scotia, she grew up speaking the Mi’kmaw language. Johnson spent her early working life as an activist and participated in the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues at the United
Jeffrey Schiff
BOSTON Rafius Fane Gallery “DisInterRuptions,” Jeffrey Schiff’s recent exhibition, included a selection of floor sculptures (many from the “Carpet Rubble” series), three-dimensional studies, and photo-based wall reliefs from the “Inter rup tions” series. The “Carpet Rubble” works feature chunks of concrete debris re-surfaced with pieces of Oriental rugs.
Social Skins and Other Constructs: A Conversation with Wilmer Wilson IV
Cross-disciplinary artist Wilmer Wilson IV focuses on the body, how gestures and everyday materials activate it, and how images of the body are transformed through context and enter the social realm. By exploring applied skins and the circulation of images, he resists the production of simplified icons without abandoning corporeal realities.
Sheila Hicks
NEW YORK High Line In the mid-1970s, Sheila Hicks was considered a heroine of the “new tapestry” movement. For over 50 years, she has stretched the boundaries of fiber as a medium, creating a distinctive body of work that weaves together sculpture, craft, design, and architecture; now at 84, she continues to create innovative, energetic objects and installations that transcend genres and materials while uniting color and structure.
Jean Arp
MARGATE, U.K. Turner Contemporary “Arp: The Poetry of Forms,” the first U.K. museum exhibition of Jean (Hans) Arp’s work since 1966, gave viewers fresh insights into this pioneer of chance whose serendipitous configurations personify the core precept of Dada practice–that of the gratuitous creative act.
“Through That Which Is Seen”
PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA Palo Alto Art Center The literal meaning of the word “diorama”– through that which is seen–served as the title for this exhibition of sculptures and installations by more than a dozen artists. The idea of the diorama explored in the show–as a model, whether miniature or life-size, of anything from a historical event to a species habitat–dates back to the 19th century.
Double Consciousness: A Conversation with Jefferson Pinder
In a career that has evolved from the performing arts to performance art, Jefferson Pinder consistently probes themes of racial identity through live performance, video, and sculpture. Key works such as Ben-Hur, Afro- Cosmonaut/Alien (White Noise), Overture (Star of Ethiopia), and Dark Matter meld historical legacy with current events, adopting references from W.E.B.
Joyce J. Scott
HAMILTON, NEW JERSEY Grounds for Sculpture “Joyce J. Scott: Harriet Tubman and Other Truths” featured 74 works that tell stories from African American and world history, including two imposing new outdoor sculptures, as well as early works and a selection of objects collected within an installation called Harriet’s Closet.
Under Construction: A Conversation with Hemall Bhuta
Hemali Bhuta’s journey into the world of installation has been fascinating. Her multi-disciplinary work focuses on the notion of in-between space, which she considers a plane where the limitations of dimensionality do not apply. By attempting to translate one medium or form into another, she questions the authority that determines the nature of a space.
Animating Sculpture: A Conversation with Graeme Patterson
Graeme Patterson makes multi-disciplinary sculptural installations, often with the end game of stop-motion animation in mind. His work is rarely still, fusing robotics, video, sound, objects, and performance into immersive environments that address dislocation, alienation, nostalgia, identity, and, recently, the fraught relationship of humans, our artifacts (physical and cultural), and the natural world.
