Human Condition August 29 - September 27, 2008
Opening Reception Friday August 29th 7 PM- 10 PM
Mari Richards
Our culture is hell-bent on consuming everything around us. In every area of life – from food, to information, to our choice of identity and beyond – we create a concept of self by asking our bodies and minds to incorporate and assimilate our surroundings. This habitual filling assumes that individual bodies can take it all in, and continue in the same oblivious state as they began. But, what is our personalized bodily response to this excess and overfilling? How do we cope – subconsciously and corporeally – with too much input, and no end in sight?
My work looks to explore this excess within our bodies. I look to excessive, industrial remains to signify and trigger a mental image of overabundance. Plastic bags, fabric remnants, industrial foam, plastics, packaging, recycling materials, and rubbers all speak of industry, mass production, mass consumption and rejection. They also mimic the many skins we use to cover and protect our selves, our objects, and our environments. I combine and rework these materials as an assimilation of culture, slickness, commodity, and carefully designed societal extras into more abject, ugly, dripping body. Larger works highlight the excess itself, and smaller pieces explore individual moments of assimilation. While the viewer’s aversion pushes hem away, the work’s glossy surfaces and gooey colors draw then closer with a morbid fascination.
Mari Richards, "Feeling Fat...Call Today"
