An Unfinished Monument to Truth
An Unfinished Monument to Truth was a solo exhibition at Ripon College, Ripon, WI, in 2021. Below are installation images, video documentation and a statement about the work. The work grows from my Studiolo project, where further information about individual artworks in the exhibition can be found.
You can view my April 2, 2021, artist talk with Gallery Director Mollie Oblinger by clicking here.
When the existence of alternative facts becomes the new normal, truth becomes slippery. The decentralization of news media on the internet and a continued siloing away from dissenting opinions via social media has led to a simultaneous reinforcement of already held beliefs and a close-mindedness to others' opinions. Lies, misdirection, deep fakes, propaganda and conspiracy theories further erode any shared perspective of the world. When even science is openly questioned, a sense of what is real begins to feel ephemeral, and we must ask ourselves, what really is true? Does 2+2=5? This act in itself feels unreal — not unlike the experience of watching an episode of The Twilight Zone. As the edge between fact and fiction blurs, we become unmoored from an agreed reality and reach through the fog for something solid to hold onto.
Included in this exhibition are recent drawings and sculptures. At the center are framed sections of wall made from paper 2x4 studs. Embedded within the framework are letters forming the word "TRUTH." Often my work has words or phrases within it. These are usually related to some personal anxiety. The words themselves also reflect human language, and how it forms a rickety and ever changing framework to which our thoughts adhere and find meaning.
A selection of drawings are hung on this framework. Sourced imagery includes Carravaggio's The Incredulity of St. Thomas (c. 1601–1602), and Hans Holbein's, The Ambassadors (1533). Moments within the drawings and separate sculptures reference plant forms, symbolizing growth, time, and transformation.
All made from paper, the work in this exhibition represents my ongoing effort to hold on to something tangible —some sense of TRUTH — even as it transforms within my grasp.
