Christy Matson: Crossings

Cranbrook Art Museum, Bloomfield Hills, MI

December 14th, 2019 – March 15th, 2020

Christy Matson: Crossings features 16 weavings configured into 2 monumentally scaled tapestries that were originally conceived for a special commission for the US Embassy in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. Matson was struck by the affinities between the country’s textile traditions and the approach to color and composition in the functional textiles of the region more generally and her own work, including the use of both muted natural and saturated synthetic dyes and the collaging of different fabrics in the signature patchworked garments of the region. Additionally, Matson will present a selection of smaller recent works that continue her reflections on historic weave structures in conjunction with her unique approach to pastiche and collage. More on the exhibition here.

Jonathan Muecke’s Stabilizer (STAB), 2013 was recently acquired by the Art Institute of Chicago. Stabilizer (STAB) joins Muecke’s CS (Coiled Stool), which is currently in the Art Institute’s collection. “Stabilizer (STAB) comes out of Muecke’s concept of “Open Objects”, which often conform to traditional design typologies of chair, table, stool—yet in their precise and spare lines, are meant to indicate a “potential to be other things” in relation to the environment and surrounding objects. The titles of his works often allude to this indeterminacy by using just singular concepts such as: Stabilizer (STAB), Horizontal Shape (HS), or Low Soft Lounge (LSL).” – Zoe Ryan, Chair and Curator of Architecture and Design, the Art Institute of Chicago. More on Muecke’s work in the Art Institute of Chicago’s collection here.