MELISSA McGILL
Otherside
October 15 - November 28, 2004
Artist Statement
In my work, I investigate and give form to the interior, the unseen, the otherside, turning negative space into positive forms.
The works at Power House Memphis explore these themes in different ways.
In the North Gallery "Shadows", a series of black and white photographs taken early in the morning on the streets of Brooklyn, examine our orientation in the world around us.
The porcelain works are based on rubber castings I made from the insides of found figurines from the flea market. To expand my exploration and the scale of these works, I went to the Kohler Pottery in Wisconsin and enlarged and slip cast these found forms in porcelain, essentially making inside out figurines and revealing their previously
hidden physiognomy.
The blown glass works in the South Gallery, "Here and Now" and "Boomerang", reflect and play with the viewer and space around them. They are completely activated by their environment in the Power House.