Regarding play...it starts out innocent enough (fun and games as they say) — infants with a rattler, toddlers with blocks, and things progress from there — tag-you’re-it as children, strumming the guitar as kids, competing in sports as teens, performing in a theatrical play in high school— then on to playing quarters, getting played, being a player, and finally — getting played out.
From casual pursuits without fixed rules to more structured games, play can be elusive to define and difficult to explain exactly what it is and what it does. Far from just a human characteristic, we frequently observe animals at play, even interspecies romps. Often derided as not serious or a mere diversion, play remains the lifeblood of creativity and artistic pursuits. No wonder recreation and re-creation converge as words.
The word “play” is versatile if not playful itself. In addition to its numerous parts of speech, the word possesses a wide array of subtle twists in meaning - from straightforward to darker connotations. This exhibition too plays with “play” covering a multitude of interpretations through sculpture.
Sculptors inherently play with materials. Meaning, durability, viewer response, and inherent/perceived value are all affected by an object’s composition. The physical properties of a material serve to help convey the concepts the artist is presenting. This exhibition includes works of marble and steel, but also foam rubber and Astro Turf. Repurposed and appropriated materials allow for altered and playful meanings to be presented - referencing both the material’s source and a creative replay.
—Gregor Turk, curator
