SXU Gallery Presents "Spare"
Saint Xavier University (SXU) will host "Spare," the work of Midwest artist Lisa Wolcott from November 5 through December 6.
Wolcott's work grapples with and makes light of the perils of daily life using kinetic sculpture, installation, drawing and photography.
"Inspiration is often derived from domestic spaces – a space can be hauntingly dull as well as safe and protective. I look for comparisons and rely on the uncanny," said Wolcott.
In "Spare," domestic structures like shelving used in closets are bent and stressed, referencing the pressures of those who function as supports within a family. The attached table chair signifies the attachment and weight of carrying a child. Wolcott translates the push and pull of her own feminine experience through tethered movements, teetering stacks, contingent forms, reaching objects and broom bristles.
"I often attempt to visualize a sensation, like what it feels like to be full after eating. Though the task of locating and giving form to shapeless sensations will eventually fail, there is often something more desirable in the elusive compared to the attainable. Humor and empathy meet in a piece like 'Overdo It,' in which fourteen small dish towel sculptures toil away, 'head down,' working endlessly in an absurd yet relatable performance. The overtone is humorous, the undertone is the heavy monotony of tasks from home or the churning of an anxious mind," said Wolcott.
Wolcott received her MFA in sculpture from Cranbrook Academy of Art and has exhibited her work nationally, including at Land of Tomorrow, Sadie Halie Projects, and The Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum. She has attended residencies at Ox-Bow School of Art, ACRE and Three Walls. Wolcott teaches sculpture classes at Hope College in Michigan.
The artist's presentation and reception will be held Wednesday, November 5, at 4 p.m. in the SXU Gallery.
The SXU Gallery is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, contact the Gallery at 773-298-3081.