ARTIST STATEMENT
Inside of sculpture and installation, I investigate a state of transformation, literally and metaphorically through process and materials. By working within a set parameter of reclaiming, upcycling, abstracting and transforming discarded, donated or resold articles of clothing, I am able to question and address familiar features of form and deformity relative to the human body. These questions presented in my work involving the human body are influenced and inspired by the body’s structures & systems, proportions & scales, interiors & exteriors, textures & colors, and orientations & identities.
The primary material focus of my sculpture is that which are inherently associated with the body and moreover possess a visceral, tactile, and sensual quality. Currently I utilize reclaimed clothing as a material source considering that it directly encompasses the essence of the human figure. By reclaiming and abstracting a material such as upcycled articles of clothing, I am able to question the expectation of the existing objects while revealing a different understanding of the selected materials through their transformation.
More specifically through sculpture and installation I explore my relationship with the expectations, orientations and identities of being a human body. Creating work elicited from the structures that compose the Circulatory, Digestive, Endocrine, Immune, Muscular, Nervous, Renal, Reproductive, Respiratory, & Skeletal systems of the human body evoke core questions regarding our humanity and mortality. Finished pieces unveil a dialog, and often generate a debate, about human rights & privileges and also touch upon the status quo & deviation regarding personal bodily decisions.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
After graduating from Pratt Institute Brooklyn, NY, with a BFA, I returned to Chicago to practice working in the visual arts. Three years later, I was accepted to the University of Chicago where I earned my MFA. After graduating from the University of Chicago, I opened Framing Mode & Gallery, a contemporary art gallery and custom framing boutique in Chicago’s South Loop (Oct 2003 to Feb 2018). As I am a social activist, Framing Mode’s Gallery was a platform for social change and we hosted fundraising events for Mercy for Animals, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), & The Burning Man Festival. I also worked with several Chicago non for profits, such as Rock for Kids, Project Onward and The Chicago Coalition for the Homeless.
Currently, (March 2022-present), I hold the position of Curator at The Bridgeport Art Center in Chicago. Along with a prolific studio practice, I organize, curate, design and install the 4th Floor Gallery and the Corridor Gallery Bridgeport Art Center exhibitions.
My artwork has been featured in group and solo shows: Robert T. Wright Community Art Gallery, College of Lake County, Grayslake IL; Dittmar Memorial Gallery at Northwestern University, Evanston IL; Woman Made Gallery, Chicago Il; South Suburban College, South Holland IL; Installation Nation, Indianapolis IN; John Almquist Gallery at the North Shore Country Day School, Winnetka, Il; Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art, Chicago, IL; The Art Center Highland Park, Highland Park, IL; Bridgeport Art Center’s premier competition: recognized for best 3D work in the exhibition.
© Marci Rubin