Material Knowledge
June 30 - Aug 13, 2022
Exhibition Artists
Cooper Campbell
Erin Riley
Ficus Interfaith
Hannah Epstein
Jordan Nassar
Justin Chance
Ken Nicol
Lorna Bauer
Luis Emilio Romero
Marie-Michelle Deschamps
Myriam Dion
Nico Williams
Oona Brangam-Snell
Raul De Lara
Shanie Tomassini
Shannon Bool
Tony Marsh
Trevor Baird
Cooper Campbell
Pointing Machine (Macchinetta di Punta), 2018-2020
Brass, steel
24h x 18w x 12d in
Arsenal Contemporary Art New York is glad to bring together the work of an eclectic group of 18 artists from diverse backgrounds for Material Knowledge. Working across an array of mediums that range from ceramics to textiles, paper, metal and wood and techniques as varied as weaving, beading, carving, glass blowing and terrazzo making, these artists each have their respective visual language, set of references and intentions. Nonetheless, the assortment of materials, techniques and strategies that the exhibition brings into relation, all associated with craft, offer a compelling argument against outdated hierarchies of materiality and objecthood that have defined the European standards of the so-called “fine arts” for hundreds of years. This is an exhibition that recognizes forms of knowledge and visual expressions that have been traditionally coded as feminine and domestic or sidelined as cultural folklore and recenters them within the framework of contemporary culture. In so doing, Material Knowledge testifies to shifting attitudes towards complex politics that define concepts such as labor and leisure.