“Isla”, 2014 Plastic debris (PET & HDPE), aluminum rivets, tinted polycrylic, mica powder, by Aurora Robson
Did you know that almost every piece of plastic ever made still exists today?
Plastic waste is one of those unique things that takes 1000 years to decompose and when plastic does break down, the small bits of toxic chemicals, such as bisphenola A (BPA) and PS oligomer end up in the digestive tracks of animals. Plastic is now even being found in humans. Plastic never disappears. It will be around long after we are gone.
The Chazen Museum of Art (University of Wisconsin-Madison) has a new exhibit that gives a timeline of this unique modern material – plastic. Curated by Joyce Robinson and guest curators, Jennifer Wagner-Lawlor and Heather Davis, the show addresses ecology, aesthetics and materials with contemporary artwork. Sixty works by thirty artists explores environmental entanglements with plastic.
Although plastic is one of the most successful inventions and adds convenience, hygiene, and accessibility the artwork also displays the darker side.
When I entered the lobby of the Chazen Museum a monstrous Chandelier hung from the ceiling overhead. Artist, Willie Cole created the piece entirely of plastic water bottles. It was a particularly interesting piece considering how this plastic garbage is so translucent and how it pays homage to our vast consumerism and our culture of convenience.
Inside the galleries I watched an eerie video by Tejal Shah, an artist from Goa, India. A cross between science fiction and modern dance, “Landfill Dance” shows a troupe of dancers in white cockroach dresses dancing upon a massive landfill. Their movements around the piles of garbage are a strange interaction that makes me think of a future apocalypse.
Dianna Cohen, an artist from Los Angeles displayed a large plastic shopping bag mandala. During meditation she hand-stitched the piece which made me reflect about what material things I accumulate.
“Ona”, 2014 Plastic debris (PET & HDPE), aluminum rivets, tinted polycrylic, mica powder, by Aurora Robson
One of my favorite pieces was by Aurora Robson, born in Canada but now lives in upstate New York. Her two pieces titled “Ona” and “Isla” were glittery and whimsical. It was hard to believe they were created out of garbage. She believes that if she crafts her art well enough, the plastic will hopefully never enter the waste stream again. As an artist, I was particularly inspired by her perspectives. I would recommend other artists to check out her video interview on her website below.
The show does an excellent job with getting the viewer to think about positive and negative aspects of plastic use but also to ponder personal choices and the future world as well.
There were many more artists in the show which I may write about in another blog post but for now I would encourage those in the Madison, WI area to check out the show at Chazen. The Plastic Entanglements show is up until January 5, 2020 and it’s free.
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