Curated Student Show – Andrew Ross

Exhibition Statement

It’s an honor to curate a selection of works from such an amazing open studios presentation. The works I’ve chosen stood out to me for being defiantly non-symbolic, uninterested in metaphor, and borderline utilitarian. These works are invested in observation, manifesting representation through various strategies. Many of them depict dwellings and speak bluntly toward power dynamics within the home, perhaps responding to a feeling of claustrophobia arising from the amount of time spent indoors during the pandemic. Others speak clearly about houselessness and a growing need for support. Some of the works operate as diagrams. They maintain a potential for utilitarian use yet are imbued with empathy and humor. Others subvert didactic representation through material play. They are sketch-y drawings and paintings from observation, sculptures manipulated from found and organic material,and photographs that utilize the emotional effect of weathered substrates and pixelation.