PRESS RELEASE
Roy McMakin: Two Chairs (one green, one black), a Chest of Drawers, a Table, a Little Stool, a Photograph and a Few Drawings
22 February – 29 March 2013
Opening reception: Thursday, 21 February, 6 to 8 pm*
Anthony Meier Fine Arts is pleased to present an exhibition of new works by Roy McMakin. An artist, designer, and furniture maker, McMakin’s work blurs the line between sculpture, architecture and fine art. His art focuses on the ontological complexities of furniture that, while occupying the same space as sculpture, is not culturally recognized as such.
Making subtle physical changes in the gallery to reposition perception of the space, McMakin understands the maleability of purpose. His show includes three new pieces in an ongoing series titled ‘Used/Use,’ found furniture objects that McMakin has faithfully and meticulously recreated in exactitude, only new. The original piece is installed as an art object on the wall while the new version is accessible and, in certain cases, functional. The new version is scrubbed clean of the life scars carried by its partner piece, reborn. Appearing as straightforward objects, McMakin’s work is layered in emotional content; nostalgic and poignant.
Two sculptures in the exhibition highlight McMakin’s practice of filling in the void of an object with an inverse object. A chest of drawers rests elevated on a pedestal of equal proportion, the pedestal becoming a companion to the chest, precisely mirroring its negative space. A photo diptych and a series of graphite drawings complement the sculptures.
McMakin has been the subject of exhibitions at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; the Henry Art Gallery in Seattle; and the Portland Art Museum. A comprehensive monograph on McMakin’s work, When Is A Chair Not A Chair, was published in 2010.
Anthony Meier Fine Arts will exhibit a curated presentation of McMakin’s work at The Armory Show 2013, from 6 through 10 March, on the Chelsea Piers, New York City. Pier 94, Booth 900.
*complimentary valet parking
