The Thing

Black matte vinyl, 192 x 114 in.

VCU School of the Arts MFA Thesis Exhibition

The Anderson Gallery, Richmond, VA

April 5–April 18, 2019

The Thing utilizes the space of the gallery as a prompt for the work. This 801-word text piece attempts to subvert the conventions and commodification of gallery art as well as the expectations and preconceptions viewers bring to such a space. Its structure dances back and forth in a rhythm, with each pair of sentences contradicting one other. While the individual statements are direct, the effect of the whole piece is that of a constantly-shifting picture, a cognitive dissonance that is difficult to hold in the mind at once. An accompanying takeaway card, a stack of which sit on a pedestal by the entrance to the room, offers viewers a tangible substitute as a consolation.