requiem
Dawn Gettler & Joshua Cox
Our experiences are based upon memories and desires.
We’ve each previously and independently constructed places of temporary intimacy, crafting rebuilt versions of beloved memories or making spaces where feelings of longing and desire resonate. The objects made and spaces constructed would fill the void for mere moments, the installations providing some personal comfort in the time spent in them. These environments were temporary and weren’t designed to exist forever. We made things to fill a void knowing it would only provide comfort for a short amount of time in what seemed like an eternity without it.
Life has changed and the things we longed for, sought after, and desired became realities.
We were no longer interested in looking for something or trying to figure out what it was that would provide us with a feeling of contentment and, most importantly, happiness. We found it in each other and the life we built together.
But now, the realities of present day life – young children, jobs, home renovations, a global pandemic – have put us into a state of domestic stasis. The days and weeks pass by without notice in a cycle of obliviousness to the outside world or our creative efforts. At the end of the day, we have no spare ounce of emotional or physical capacity to make work or think about the things that were absolutely essential to our beings just a few years ago.
This is why we find ourselves looking back with rose colored glasses on our creative pasts. All of the loneliness we felt then, all of our failures, the longing, inability to pay our bills, etc, are conveniently forgotten next to our memories of intense creative output and complete self-absorption into our studio practices. We don’t long for that life, but sometimes feel consumed within this one. There is little to nothing left to give at the end of our days.
The pieces in this show have been culled from earlier studio work but reveal the wear and tear of time. They are relics of earlier memories and recreations, still treasured but neglected and remembered with a bittersweet nostalgia.
Our lives and studios and this show are strewn with what remain. Projects laid out, left unfinished, and at times initial intentions completely forgotten. The work is worn and broken, but still held tight and precious. Memories are fickle that way, unless relived and retold they will turn to dust.
Exhibit Opens July 16th
Opening Reception | July 16th 5:00 – 7:00 pm
Artist Talk | July 16th 6:00