ARTIST STATEMENT
This work focuses on viewer physical interaction, passively kinetic, yielding ephemeral experience.
Right specifically asks: who is correct, who has the right to take make choices for bodies, why is the assumption what is right for one, is right for another?
The art historical precedents: California Light and Space Kinetic, the Japanese Gutai movement and Op art join forces of influence for this current body of work. Perception, movement, optical illusion, lighting conditions and the interactive role of audience participation make for an ever-changing experience.
Playful exploration has been the starting point for making motion out of solid objects and stationary imagery. The art work traverses the chasm from passive viewer to active viewer and creator collaborator. The viewers action opens a portal for discussion about how we move in space and what we do- can, if not change our perception, illuminate it.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Not speaking from the ages two-four years old when living in Caracas, Venezuela brought me to the language of art.
N.YC. after a BFA at Alfred University school of Art and Design, was an invaluable experience. There I worked as a professional art handler (at the MoMa and the American Crafts Museum) an artist assistant (for Ursula von Rydgsvard and Petah Coyne) and attended lower east side studio residency.
A second artist residency at the Banff Center for the Arts in Alberta, Canada for 8 months introduced me to artists from around the world. Completing a MA in Art and Art education at Columbia University left me still wanting to pursue fine art full time.
A MFA in sculpture at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago brought me to the midwest in 1992 from the northeast. Twenty-eight years of self-employment and fourteen years of solo homeownership, I’m a re-emerging Chicago artist.
© Elizabeth Buchanan