Art/Object

td[s], Elonda Billera, Lester Monzon
In the project space: Nathan Bennett
Curated by Roman Stollenwerk
September 12 – November 23, 2011
Reception for the artists: Wednesday, September 14 from 6-8pm

Chaffey College and the Wignall Museum of Contemporary Art are pleased to present Art/Object featuring projects and exhibits by td[s], Elonda Billera and Lester Monzon. The Wignall is also pleased to present Nathan Bennett in the Project Space. Art/Object began with a desire to include innovative contemporary design in our upcoming 2011-2012 programming at the Wignall. The fact that Chad Petersen & Dakota Witzenburg of td[s] have backgrounds in fine art was an intriguing idea that blurred the separation of art and functional design; both Petersen and Witzenburg are trained as studio artists and both have experience working as art professionals at museums and galleries. Attempting to classify designers and artists is not a new problem; however, doing so continues to raise interesting questions about how a person’s training influences our response to their creative work and how our response to objects changes depending on the context and how the object is displayed. This selection of exhibitions and projects expands upon some of these questions by presenting variations on the relationship art/object.

td[s] (todosomething) is a design and fabrication studio specializing in furniture and cabinetry that is crafted in their Los Angeles workshop with a commitment to sourcing local, domestic materials. Designers Chad Petersen & Dakota Witzenburg of td[s] have developed a signature style with a focus on craftsmanship that is characterized by a use of tactile materials and unique finishes blended with interpretations of minimalism, mid-century modernism, and Shaker Style. As designers, Petersen and Witzenburg are interested in creating pieces that explore the boundaries of what functional objects mean to their users in a contemporary setting.

Elonda Billera’s practice is a mixed-media and multidisciplinary forum for social exchange (both physical and psychic). She creates evocative compositions that use photography, video and sculpture, often modifying and recontextualizing found objects that have their own past experiences as previously valued items. Billera’s work brings attention to the way that objects can function as emotive markers of social relations.

Los Angeles-based painter Lester Monzon creates paintings that give the appearance of passionate expression; however, Monzon’s work is actually created through a precise and calculated process of glazing thin layers to represent textured marks of thick paint. By creating methodical representational paintings of apparently hurried abstract gestures, Monzon shows how the act of rendering defines the content itself. In the process Monzon demonstrates the contrived nature of human expression and questions the efficacy of sharing subjective experience. Monzon’s work also points to the materiality of paint (or lack thereof) and in the process makes the viewer consciously aware of the paintings as objects. Monzon’s skillful trick, however, is to create this awareness by using the techniques of representational painting, which generally place focus on the image and divert the viewer’s attention from the material construction of the painted object.

In the project space:
Nathan Bennett is a New York-based artist who uses photography, video, sculpture and drawing in his multidisciplinary practice. Bennett often integrates readymades and appropriated imagery in his work to present pieces of commercial culture with an uncanny tinge. He is interested in philosophy, psychoanalysis and anthropology as social theory practices that confront the limitations of history and the production of culture. In his work, Bennett hopes to create moments of desire and alienation that function as a magnifying glass for the irrationalities of capitalism.

The exhibitions and reception are free and open to the public.

WIGNALL MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART
Chaffey College, 5885 Haven Avenue, Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91737
Park in the North Parking Lot - Permits can be purchased at machines for $2.
Parking is free during museum receptions and special events.

INFORMATION:
(909) 652 - 6492, www.chaffey.edu/wignall