Materiality

Lotus L. Kang

Lotus L. Kang’s In Cascades invites viewers into a liminal space between inside and outside, life and regeneration, emptiness and fullness, evoking a sense of constant transformation. Photographic films unfurl from steel joists suspended from the ceiling, while floor sculptures made of tatami mats and cast-aluminum objects anchor the installation. The materials—industrial, portable, and adaptable—emphasize…
Jes Fan

Jes Fan’s sculptures explore material and surface by transforming the body into both structure and metaphor. Using 3D-printed CAT scans of his own body, Fan maps cross-sections of muscles and vertebrae, turning internal anatomy outward. In Contrapposto, six replicated vertebrae drape over a metal frame, inverting the skeleton to function like skin, while hand-blown glass…
Suzanne Jackson

Red over morning sea, 2021Acrylic Suzanne Jackson’s suspended paintings push the boundaries of material and surface, built entirely from layers of acrylic, gel medium, detritus, and natural objects, like seeds from her garden in Savannah, Georgia. Since the 1960s, Jackson has experimented with acrylic, treating it not just as paint but as structure—“an armature for…
Eddie Rodolfo Aparicio

Installation view of Whitney Biennial 2024: Even Better Than the Real Thing (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, March 20- August 11, 2024). Eddie Rodolfo Aparicio, Paloma Blanca Deja Volar / White Dove Let Us Fly, 2024. Photograph by Ron Amstutz Amber changes over time and the artist altered this amber to be less stable in the…
Juliette Minchin

The Coffelou Sweeping, 2021 Materials: Wax, steel, wicks and LEDs Process: Covering steel in hot wax, letting it dry then melting over time Content: Ritual, facade, temporal, “plasticity, metamorphosis, growth, dissolution, destruction, deliquescence, degeneration“ Source: “Juliette Minchin | Artist on Gallery Viewer | Gallery Vi…” Galleryviewer.com, galleryviewer.com/en/gallery/384/roof-a/artists/5937/juliette-minchin. Accessed 26 June 2024. Ebert, Grace. “Inspired by…
Louise Bourgeois

Destruction of the Father, 1974 MaterialsWood, latex rubber, plaster, fabric Process“Bourgeois bought hunks of mutton and beef, decidedly on the bone, cast them in plaster and then covered the plaster with latex rubber” Latex over plaster, possibly cast onto the latex directly or adhered after the plaster has dried. Weaver, Ben. “THE LONDON LIST —…
Merett Oppenheim

Object, 1936 Materials: Fur-covered cup, saucer, and spoon, cup Process: Adhesive to attach fur Content: Surrealism, hard/soft, luxury Oppenheim uses fur to create a surrealist object: “a sculpture that joined incongruous parts to create an impossible, uncanny object” It brings about ideas of hard and soft, luxury and the tactile experience of using the objects.…
Chalk

Chalk on plastic wrap, rubbed on AppearancePowdery and blue. Translucent, range of opaqueness depending on thickness of chalk applied. Physical ChangesCreates a soft textured surfaceChanges color and opacityIs unstable UtilitySticks to adhesiveCan be used to change texture and color
Karla Black

Biodegradable Coatings/ExperimentalWish List, 2008 Materials: Sugar Paper, chalk, ribbon, hair gel, nail varnish, plaster powder, paint, petroleum jelly, polythene, rubber glove Process: Coating paper in hair gel and petroleum jelly then ‘flocking’ with plaster powder and chalk dust Content: Impermanence, contingency, fragility, self care In Black’s work she uses very pastel and light colors which…
Wax

Wax on paper towel roll AppearanceHardened, has a waxy sheen. The rolls are attached and hold a bent shape. Physical ChangesOff white/creamThe separated layers of towels are visible adding more texture and interior surfaceHeavier UtilityCan by used to adhere materialsCan be absorbed into an object that is porousHolds its shapeCan add an irregular sheen to…
Fur

Fur on metal bookend adhered w/ spray adhesive AppearanceColorful, furry, animated Physical ChangesCreates a furry textureCompletely transformed the previous metallic surfaceThe piece is now animated and feels aliveEmphasizes the shape of the object to be an entrance or mouth UtilityAdheres to metalChanges color and texture
Plasti-Dip

Plasti-Dip on sock AppearanceBright blue with a glossy sheen. Controlled amount applied that shows emphasis and intention. Can see the original texture of the sock in places the Plasti-Dip is not too thick. Physical ChangesCreates a uniformed surfaceBright colorGrippy texture UtilityAdheres to most thingsCan be used to achieve a uniform bright color
Latex

Structural/Degradable/Textural Latex on pulled fabric AppearanceChunky, flexible, yellow. The individual threads become noodle looking, bunched up and curled. Physical ChangesChanged the colorChanged the way the fabric moves, flexible, bouncyThe fabric is now rubbery UtilityCan by used to adhere materials because the latex sticks to itselfCan be applied to surfaces that can absorb the latexHolds its shape…
Flocking

Green Flocking on spray foam, wire Flocking is the process of depositing many small fiber particles (called flock) onto a surface. It can also refer to the texture produced by the process, or to any material used primarily for its flocked surface. Decorative, facades and veneers Makes surface appear velvety, soft and green. Is able to cover…