Texas Artists Elevate Ordinary Materials into High-concept Works

by  || San Antonio Current 
October 05, 2016 at 6:00 AM
Work/Play: Stack
Work/Play: Stack

After selecting the current trio of female artists for Artpace’s fall 2016 International Artist-in-Residence program, Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA) curator Denise Markonish once again lends a curatorial hand in this fall’s Hudson Showroom exhibition. Titled “Objectives,” the exhibition brings together three distinct Texas artists, each with a focus on found objects.

Redaction of Labor III (pre-action)
Redaction of Labor III (pre-action)

Easily the most conceptual work in this show is Richards’ Redaction of Labor III, which, as of opening night was nothing more than a stack of sheetrock and lumber placed in front of one of the gallery’s white walls. Over the coming months, the artist plans to use the materials to construct a wall that will cover an existing wall, essentially becoming part of — and disappearing into — the gallery. Here, in a sort of mocking manner, Richards redirects our attention to the often unseen labor invested in artwork and the often fleeting nature of its end results.

FULL ARTICLE


~ Many thanks to Marco Aquino and the staff at Artpace.