Art Sprawl

"an irregularly spread or scattered group or mass"

Month: April 2023

Reflection on “[Re]collections & Earthly Artifacts” by Melissa Borman at Rosalux

April 24, 2023 /

This reflection is also available as a zine.

I stopped by [Re]collections & Earthly Artifacts by Melissa Borman at Rosalux to spend some time with this multi-media exhibition  (on view through April 30, 2023 at 315 West 48th Street, Minneapolis, MN 55419).

a latch hook circle with a rose pattern hanging on the wall

Melissa Borman, “Rose,” 2023, latch hook rug, 20″ diameter x 1.25″ deep

While this exhibition had a clear foundation in photography, I enjoyed the many multimedia pieces, such as this latch hook rug. Like many of the works in this exhibition, Rose projects a sense of nostalgia and memory (I especially felt this in Sanctuary too).  Rose also highlights the technical creation of images, and its own latch hook directions are featured in the artist book that accompanies this exhibition. I noticed this emphasis on visual components across multiple works, whether in terms of the enlarged half-tones in Memorial, or in this case, individual pieces of yarn brought together to create a visual whole.

a detail image of a half-tone dove flying in the sky

Melissa Borman, “Memorial,” 2022, archival pigment print with custom frame, 18″x44″

Multiple works connect to ideas of shifting and change. In Troubled Waters, a beautiful grid of images of ocean waves churning, we see the actual tumult of nature, and right next to it, in My Father was a Flower Garden, Borman’s father is featured in a lenticular print that shifts from his military portrait to tropical flowers. As she shares in the exhibition statement, he was a closeted gay man, and this piece seems a beautiful tribute to that challenge.

a military portrait of a man with the name Borman and some flowers on the right

Melissa Borman, “My Father Was a Flower Garden,” 2023, lenticular print, 32.75″x24″

I also enjoyed the collaborative work between Borman and Julie Reneé Benda, The White Cat. This piece features Borman’s photograph of a white cat sculpture in a green field and Benda’s short written reflection about the image, which closes with, “…to remind me that love is the gift of being seen.” It feels like many works in this exhibition hold that same sentiment, especially the small box of snap shots that accompanies The Journal of a Sea Animal Living on Land.

a photo of a ceramic cat in the grass and a short story printed next to it

Melissa Borman and Julie Reneé Benda, “The White Cat,” 2023, archival pigment prints, 17″x25.5″

Also on view is a striking artist book with the same title as the exhibition. It features and essay by Sheila Dickinson, and was carefully crafted with several translucent inserts that mimic the qualities of a lenticular print. The reproductions are excellent and the book includes all the works in the exhibition. I highly recommend stopping by gallery hours when you can leisurely spend time with this text and the rest of the work.

an artist book held open by a hand featuring imagery of waves and leaves

Melissa Borman, “[Re]collections & Earthly Artifacts,” 2023, artist book

Disclosure: Melissa Borman and I are both members of Title Collective.

Reflection on “Body//Weight” by Christopher Selleck at Mia

April 17, 2023 /

This reflection is also available as a zine.

I stopped by Body//Weight by Christopher Selleck at Mia to check out the photographs, video work, and interactive mirrored installation (on view through June 25, 2023 at 2400 Third Ave S, Minneapolis 55404). As the exhibition text suggests, this show highlights “the nature of masculinity within society” using the subject matter of men who engage in weightlifting.

view of large gallery with photographs on walls

Christopher Selleck, Body//Weight

The U.S. Bank Gallery which houses the  Minnesota Artists Exhibition Program (MAEP) has a specific two-room layout, and it’s always interesting to see how different artists tackle this architectural challenge. In Selleck’s case, he placed all of the video and installation work in the first room, which seemed like a smart move for setting a tone before entering the larger section of the gallery housing most of the photography work.

a nude man on a scale on a vertical video screen

Christopher Selleck, Scale/Body Weight, 2018-2022, video, 4:00 minutes

The video works are relatively short and repetitive, setting up brief meditative moments to consider concepts of self-regulation of weight. The videos are formally beautiful and might remind one of Bill Viola in their vertical framing and focus on singular figures and specific gestures.

a mirrored wall with a stack of cast plaster weights

Christopher Selleck, 5’10″/#205, 2019, cast plaster on custom pedestal

The mirrored installation includes a tall slender stack of cast plaster weights on a tiny table, heightening the viewer’s self-awareness and inviting contemplation of the artist’s mention of body dysmorphia, “a disconnection between the real and imagined self.” I found it particularly poignant when one is alone in the gallery.

3 photographic portraits of weightlifters without shirts

Christopher Selleck, Joey (2020), Kolton (2021), Adam M. (2022), pigmented ink print mounted to Dibond with luster laminate

As I passed from the small room into the larger one, I appreciated the careful curation of images into pairs, trios, and single works for consideration. Having just passed through the first room contemplating issues of self-perception, weight control, and ideas of body sculpting, I found myself closely examining facial expressions and chosen poses. Selleck mentions he works collaboratively with his models. Voyeurism, masculinity, and vulnerability all stirred together as I walked from image to image thinking about each person making choices about how to look into the camera and position their bodies.

a white man with blonde hair posing with his shirt off and one short leg rolled up

Christopher Selleck, Josh, 2022, pigmented ink print mounted to Dibond with luster laminate

The time investment of weightlifting as a practice was front of mind, as well as the passage of time and how bodies are constantly in a state of flux. The futility of efforts towards controlling our bodies was clear as each image feels like a person captured for just a moment in a process of striving, whether it’s for themselves, or the approval of others.

a nude man holding two weights and turned away from the camera

Christopher Selleck, Mike, 2021, pigmented ink print mounted to Dibond with luster laminate

There were also several works that felt like specifically formal studies of societal standards of beauty with the figures turned away from the camera, and the full focus on the musculature and lighting. Small indicators of individuality were present, often through tattoos. I’m limiting the images I share here to encourage people to go visit the exhibition themselves, as there are many more works to check out.

Disclosure: I first met Christopher Selleck in 2018 as an alum of the MFA program at MCAD.

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