Engaging Small Worlds Exhibition at Toledo Museum of Art
TOLEDO, OHIO–As its name suggests, Small Worlds, which opens Nov. 18 at the Toledo Museum of Art, brings together intricate, charming, disquieting and thoughtful works of art on the smallest of scales. Each of the engaging works creates an intimate space or environment and shows scenes which are familiar but perhaps slightly askew.
The five contemporary artists represented offer more than 40 small worlds rendered as relief paintings, sculptures, drawings and photographs. There also are video and art installations, a fully functional 65-square-foot house, and objects created specifically for this show that, in some cases, incorporate facets of the Toledo Museum of Art and its environs.
The concept of “world” is both universal and highly personal because our worlds are shaped by individual experiences and imaginations. The intricate, intriguing works in Small Worlds explore the realms of the home, the studio, the neighborhood, the city and the natural world, said Amy Gilman, curator of contemporary art, associate director of the Museum and organizer the exhibition.
“These works encourage the viewer to consider space and perspective in different ways,” says Gilman. “We may feel oversized when peering at Gregory Euclide’s miniature ecosystems, yet small and disoriented when we’re surrounded by Tabaimo’s video installation depicting a Japanese ‘home’ where the walls become the ceiling and reality is turned upside-down.“
Rich in detail, the dioramas of Joe Fig’s artist studios and Lori Nix’s post-apocalyptic scenes are likewise miniaturized and breathtaking in their realism. Visitors may find Charlie Kanwischer’s silverpoint drawings uncannily familiar. For this exhibition, the northwest Ohio resident created a dozen new works depicting homes within a half-mile radius of the Museum.
Community partners The Andersons and The Lathrop Company donated materials, labor and space to build the “XS”, the smallest model home designed by the Tumbleweed Tiny House Company. “XS” stands for extra small and excessively efficient. The house measures just 65 square feet and weighs 4,000 pounds. Built on a 7’ x 11’ utility trailer, it’s easily transported to the Museum for the exhibition. Among its other features are a living room with build-in desk and couch, a kitchenette and a loft bedroom big enough for a queen-size mattress.
Small Worlds is on view Nov. 18, 2011–March 25, 2012 in the Canaday Gallery.
An online catalog accessed through QR codes will enable exploration of the exhibition on a website laid out like a world map. The searching the map lets visitors obtain artist information and additional content. A print publication in the form of a small box containing a map that folds out, plus cards representing the 40 works of art in the exhibition, also will be available.
The exhibition is made possible by members of the Toledo Museum of Art and with support in part from the Ohio Arts Council, The Andersons and The Lathrop Company.
Press Release Contact Name: Kelly Garrow
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Organization Name: Toledo Museum of Art