Teeter-Totter
Elizabeth Odiorne & HM ThompsonHM Thompson statement:
Considering the boundaries, borders, and binaries of categorized identities, of the body, of societal constructs and the impossible expectations that they bear, my work speaks to the multifaceted and fluid nature of identity, with emphasis on gender performance. Few things in nature are fixed or permanent; I am interested in the margins, the fringe, and the
non-normative— the ways in which we identify ourselves that are messy, fluctuating, layered, and do not fit neatly into any pre-determined criteria. Expanding on themes of childhood, queer theory, post-structuralism, phenomenology, “subversive sweetness,” and abstraction, my work can be regarded as both sculpture and installation. I focus on bodily relationships between form and viewer, pushing this notion further through abstracted and platonic forms. I do this to provide the viewer with a particular ground, albeit unstable. I consider this kind of work to be both distopic and utopic—playful and critical. Through a phenomenological approach, this work speaks to the strangeness of familiarity by referencing objects that appear to have a location in our collective memory or experience but do not exist as “real” or representational forms. Color and texture operate in this work as an entry point, allowing those who might be unfamiliar with the aforementioned themes to experience the space and all of its potential without feeling alienated or excluded. My background in graphic design, photography, and drawing informs the way that I treat my sculptural surfaces, which are often subtle but unapologetic. Because I am interested in how we understand gender through language, my work utilizes the double meanings and sometimes meaninglessness of words. I use both smooth and constrained gradations to exploit boundaries while candy coating the work in saturated color and texture to leave the viewer feeling that they might already understand my propositions. Additionally, using a language of symbols, I provide otherwise abstract concepts with literal dimensionality. It is the “subversively sweet” quality of the work that allows me to explore queer theory, philosophy, and language in a way that is simultaneously tongue-in-cheek and demanding.
Elizabeth Odiorne statement:
We are surrounded by visually intriguing, recurring designs in nature, ranging from simple to intricate. My screen-printed textiles focus on exemplifying and magnifying the complexity of repeated forms. I am passionate about the time-honored tradition of screen-printing textiles, taking great pride in executing all aspects of the process by hand. I want the viewer to absorb and be engrossed in the original drawings, overlapping shapes and complex compositions. My patterns and motifs reflect the significance of personal achievements and monumental life moments. Through the process of repetition, I wish to instill an overpowering visual sensation when viewing my work – a menagerie of brilliant, saturation of color, layers of delicate linear patterns, embedded with a unique record of personal anecdotes.
