| | Frances Trombly: It Makes Me Happy
Feb 25 to April 16, 2005At first glance, the works of Frances Trombly look identical to the cheap, disposable consumer items they mimic, but an alert eye will notice the markings of human labor that went into their making. Trombly weaves and knits extraordinarily beautiful “copies” of utilitarian objects that in their mass-produced form are of little visual interest. By using labor-intensive craft techniques Trombly takes ordinary subjects, like extension cords and toilet paper, and creates objects that call attention to themselves not through exaggeration or adornment, but by adding a touch of humanity to the aesthetic simplicity of the original. In doing this, she subverts the subjects’ natural purpose as functional objects and by extension reverses the conventional hierarchy of value associated with an original and its customarily less valuable copy.
For the artist’s current show, “It Makes Me Happy,” Trombly has created a new body of work centered on the subject of gift giving and celebration. Each artwork in this exhibition replicates a generic, commercial accessory typically associated with gift giving or festivity. There is a beautiful futility in her choice of subject because she focuses, not on the gift, but on the objects and trimmings along the periphery of the act or celebration: tiny streamers, bows, ribbons, confetti, and balloons. Objects which are often overlooked or tossed aside are brought back to the center, and we are asked to consider the power and value of gifting rather than the value of the gift within the package. At the same time, this choice of subject admits a flirtatious relationship with the consumer society the artist comments on with her work.
For Trombly, the convenience of shopping is a blessing, and a burden.
Consumers need not put thought or effort into a gift; they can purchase the offering and its wrapping within minutes, without giving the matter much consideration. By pain-stakingly recreating the gift accessories as they are in actuality, Trombly imbues them with new layers of meaning. She asks the viewer to consider the act as more important than the offering. In the context of this show, the concept of a gift is empowered with the word’s emotional connotations:the thoughtfulness, effort, and process that a “gift” symbolizes for its receiver.
For Trombly, each gift is a singular act, though repeated several times. By placing the work sparingly throughout the gallery she reminds us of the importance of each, rather than the collective necessity: not the burden of presents for everyone, but the act of a making a connection with another individual. The craft techniques used by the artist invest each piece with a visible trace of humanity, so that the careful viewer can follow the artist’s emotional journey through the fabric of the piece. Trombly’s gift reminds the viewer that there is still room in consumer society for thoughtfulness and human contact.
|
