NEW YORK, NY.- Accessible Objects announces its second showcase of objects "Craft Works" an online exhibition in collaboration with Clare Watt.
Beginning Thursday, September 19th, Accessible Object will debut an online presentation of works by Mik Bakker, Georgia Clemson, Madeline Coven, Lydia Donohue, Jenna Graziano, Max Gehlofen, Liv Ryan, Clare Watt, and Thomas Wheller. This presentation serves as a precursor to the upcoming 2024 group exhibition at Silo Gallery’s space in Upstate New York.
This exhibition celebrates the diverse utilization of classical methods and materials such as wood working, marble carving, pottery and quilting, reinterpreting them within a contemporary artistic context. This exhibition not only honors the tactile skills these artists uphold but also emphasizes their role in sustainable art practices. By employing underutilized materials and methods, they challenge the prevailing norms of art consumption and production, urging viewers to reconsider the resources available to us in a rapidly digitizing world.
Mik Bakker. (re)form 7. steel and aluminium. 35x15x7 inches. Image courtesy of the Artist.
Thomas Wheller's Flower Contemplating the Stars reveals a mastery of wood. In this playful totemic sculpture, he has pieced together organic ash blocks rescued from offcuts, and assembled them together with dowels of the same material to create a totem that can support small hung objects. Wheller transforms this age-old medium into expressive modern art forms. His dedication to preserving natural textures and forms challenges our perceptions of art and functionality, creating a dialogue between the viewer and the environment.
Lydia Donohue's Piece II employs the cyanotype process, where flora and fauna from Northwest England imprint onto cotton fabric, evoking a Victorian botanical tradition. The cowrie shell, once a natural darning egg in sewing, symbolizes fertility and mending within her work. Blue, emblematic of her research, merges domestic and divine realms, reflecting its rarity and royal symbolism. In Donohue's quilt, blue embodies the permeable boundaries between the cosmic and everyday life. The artist refers to poet Cirlot’s idea that “blue is darkness made visible,” positioning the quilt maker at the center of her stitched universe.
Lydia Donohue. Piece II . Cotton and cyanotype dye. 2024. 42 x 36 inches. Image courtesy of the Artist.
Madeline Coven and Jenna Graziano's Hide Chair explores the intersection of exoskeletons and skin, considering the structures that support and protect life. The piece juxtaposes the cold functionality of an aluminium frame with the organic warmth of rawhide, symbolizing new life within a cocoon of protection. As the artists describe, they highlight the sand-grain texture of the aluminium to evoke its growth and history. The frame, cast from recycled machine parts, and the rawhide, sourced from New Mexico, reflect a repurposing of materials that speaks to their elemental completeness, embodying what is left behind.
Georgia Clemson's practice delves into the therapeutic language of care and emotional containment, concepts that are intricately woven into her sculptural work. In 2019, Clemson created 'Bookend,' a wooden sculpture that belongs to a larger series exploring the physicality of 'holding.' Each piece in the series emerges from the negative spaces formed by the encircling of her own arms and hands, a poignant representation of emptiness framed by presence. Through these works, Clemson invites us to contemplate the boundaries between space, body, and the unseen emotions that exist within the act of containment.
With the '(re)form' series, Mik Bakker redefines the relationship between sculpture and furniture, blurring the lines between functional design and artistic expression. Each piece in this collection is one-of-a-kind, shaped by the interplay of positive and negative forms. The negative spaces—voids derived from machinery used in the Netherlands' water transportation industry—serve as a foundation for Bakker's innovative approach. By repurposing these industrial elements, Bakker challenges traditional concepts of furniture, creating objects that provoke thought and inspire a new dialogue within the spheres of interior and furniture design.
Clare Watt. Unearthed. acrylic and canvas collage on canvas. 30 x 30 inches. Image courtesy of the artist.
Clare Watt's artistic practice is driven by a deep commitment to collage, a medium through which she continuously reimagines and reconstructs past work. Her piece, Unearthed, an acrylic and canvas collage on canvas, reflects this ethos. Composed of scraps repurposed from unused canvases, the work embodies the idea of paying homage to failures while embracing the process of undoing and redoing. Watt’s collage serves as a meditation on the cyclical nature of creation, where remnants of past efforts are transformed into something entirely new, highlighting the beauty in reinvention and resilience.
German-based sculptor and drawer Max Gehlofen crafts works that explore the potential of life yet to unfold, bridging the gap between the imagined and the familiar. His piece Thrown There, a hand-carved head made of soapstone, captures a fictional yet conceivable human figure frozen in the moment of impact with the earth. Gehlofen’s practice is grounded in a philosophy of creation that relies solely on the power of his own body, avoiding external energy sources. This self-imposed constraint imbues his work with a profoundly human scale, as he invents organic forms rooted in shapes recognizable to our perception. Through his sculptural explorations, Gehlofen invites contemplation of life's possibilities, both real and imagined, through a tactile and intimate lens.
Brooklyn-born and based artist Liv Ryan navigates the boundaries between mediums, with a focus on sustainable and eco-friendly practices. Known primarily for her work in clothing design, Ryan draws upon her deep knowledge of art, architecture, and cooking to explore sculptural forms, structure, and subtle textures. Her piece, Swatch Patchwork, a tapestry crafted from leftover swatches sent by various fabric mills, reflects her commitment to sustainability and local production. Through her inventive use of materials, Ryan reimagines fabric as both medium and message, creating works that are as much about texture and form as they are about thoughtful and responsible making.
Through “Craft Works" we invite viewers to explore a space where the past enriches the future, highlighting how traditional crafts can inform and inspire ongoing creative innovation. This showcase is not just a display of technical skill but a vibrant testament to the enduring relevance of hands-on artistry in a digital age.
With special thanks to Accessible Objects founders Chloé Vadot and Sophia Yoo for providing a platform for these vanguard creators.
