Artwardly

Igor Siddiqui: Protoplastic

     Tops Gallery is pleased to present Protoplastic, a new experimental project by architect Igor Siddiqui. Protoplastic stages simultaneous encounters between high and low technologies, renewable and non-renewable resources, as well as between permanence and disposability. The exhibition consists of a sculptural installation cast from biodegradable plastic and the acrylic formwork that was used to construct it.

Siddiqui frequently uses advanced digital technologies to design and fabricate his work. In this project the intricately patterned form is conceived digitally and inscribed into the acrylic surfaces using computer-controlled machinery. The resulting cuts produce highly detailed reliefs that function as both drawings and molds. He fills these reliefs with liquid plastic in order to cast the translucent surfaces tailored to aggregate into a larger sculpture. The plastic is made from scratch in his studio from nontoxic, compostable ingredients in a manner that reflects trial-and-error experimentation and open-ended research. With the sensibility of both an architect and an experienced home cook, Siddiqui has come across many opportunities to adjust the material’s properties to suit his needs, but has also been challenged by its organic nature. The cast plastic sculpture is the evidence of this ongoing learning process as well as a prompt for considering material lifecycles. We may, for example, be repulsed by the moldy surface of the bioplastic as it slowly degrades even if it is entirely non-toxic and can safely return to our food supply system. On the other hand, the shiny, crisp and clean sheets of acrylic formwork may be perceived as attractive, but could easily end up in a landfill. In this way the material properties inProtoplastic prompt further questions about consumption, waste, time as well as the broader ecologies within which design production is inevitably situated. What would it mean, for example, to assume permanent ownership of every piece of petro-plastic that we consume rather than releasing it for disposal? How might we continue to reposition the issue of waste as a part of the design process? What if food supply and construction material industries were integrated into an interdependent system?

For this exhibition, the set of six acrylic pieces is presented as an edition of 3, while the bioplastic sculpture is designed to be composted. Each acrylic panel is set in a custom concrete base with wool felt padding. For further details on this exhibition, future projects, or Tops Gallery’s program, please contact the gallery at [email protected].

Lester Merriweather Black House | White Market

Terri Phillips -"We Have Always Lived in a Castle"

At the University of Memphis Art Museum on view September 21-January 4

"Taking the title from Shirley Jackson's 1962 novel, this installation of sculpture and sound is based on a combination of Jackson's narrative and Phillips own experience returning home after many years away. Some materials are objects from her childhood home and others are from the local area. The Iron Maiden sculpture is made from a plant called Arkansas Toothpick found in Shelby Farms. The soundtrack is composed from pieces recorded in Memphis in 2012-2013. The work addresses isolation, family relationships, histories and secrets, and the ties that bind."

-Courtesy of the Memphis Flyer-

Niles Wallace is a contemporary sculptor working with wood, found objects, and mixed media. He is an associate professor at the University of Memphis, Department of Fine Art. He has taught courses ranging from ceramics to drawing. His exhibition "Rug Burns" just came down from Gallery 56 last week. Here is an excerpt from his artist statement:

  Dr. James Patterson 

When Dr. James Patterson ventured to open the Powerhouse in early 2000 Memphis was doing really interesting stuff in the art scene. Shows included, Glenn Ligon, Rashid Johnson, and a homage to William Eggleston. It was high end for the location. People would ask why would you do something this nice in a place like this? People love the work, but those who didn't understand about art don't know why they like it. Dr. Patterson talked about his collaboration with curator Peter Flessig who was curator for the Powerhouse. Peter Flessig had an Invisible Museum project-he used to put pieces in different locations to build relationships to the space. We talked about setting up the relationships with the art and the space.The Powerhouse has since dissolved but the interests in art has not. We connected over the Venice Biennale and how art leasing works. 

The relationships in the art world are critical. The relationships that are set up with art always affect what is happening in the space, wether its a bank or a restaurant. There are a lot of empty walls and a lot of businesses that already have a lot of art in house. "It's not just about hanging something up on a wall, it's about what is happening in the space. There are more complicated relationships that can be set up and taken to another level when you curate the work".

"What if someone approached you to loan out a Van Gogh or loan out some work from a time period? You want to loan something from the Getty or the MOMA, but you have to try and translate it down. What are in both parties best interest?" You want to monetize it by sales. You are getting art for the money. For X number of dollars/ month you can get great art in your facility and we can switch it out whenever; it's that simple. Trading is hardly an option anymore and restaurants are hardly the customer target. When you navigate the sale and the percentage you have to figure out does local art hold true to the equation.

"People lack imagination when it comes to home staging and model homes. The artwork is a real issue because that is a specialty beyond what the interior designers can do. People cant tell you why when something looks good but everyone knows, it just does".

Dr. Patterson has a Pickwick house at Shallow Fall that was designed by Sam Mockbee with an interior design team from New York. It was difficult to do because there were no right angles to the house. It was built by local workers and when it was in construction people would come watch and want ask to walk up and down the stairs." No one made fun of it, people knew it was authored and they respected it. People respond to good things, and in middle America, most people are just unexposed. Now go from there to art in a home, art in a bank, and people put up Aunt Susie's paintings and it makes the whole things look cheap and people can tell. Art doesn't necessarily have to be expensive to have nice pieces".

Its not easy to sell work online. People still want to see it and touch it. The monopoly of the offline market endures in the art world. The legwork of art moving is still not automated and not an easy thing to do.   

Matt Ducklo- Tops Gallery

Matt Ducklo started Tops Gallery over the past couple of years. Tops Gallery is literally a hidden gem in downtown Memphis. It's located in the basement of Jack Robinson Gallery; you have to take a freight elevator (or stairs) to get down there. 

"It's very hard to get people to care about local art if they are not from that location. People go to art cities to buy art for the experience. People like to own stuff, though".

When Matt Ducklo got involved with Tops Gallery he had no expectations. "I don't know how to judge what people want and thats not what I'm trying to do. I find what I'm doing interesting." Matt finds artists randomly; his shows are booked a year in advance. This is the 6th show at Tops. Matt states he will not sacrifice the vision of the projects in the gallery to show work that will sell. Currently it's between a non-profit and for-profit business. There is no shortage of people making work and there is no shortage of offices and businesses that want up-and-coming original artists. 

Derrick Dent  Freelance Illustrator and instructor at MCA

Derrick works as a freelance illustrator on his own time and teaches at Memphis College of Art. "Everyone knows each other in a small big town like Memphis TN. For better or worse we are all part of a creative population here". We discussed the retrospective show on Memphis artists in the Dixon Museum and Gardens last year. Memphis has a rich pocket of creativity and a long history. "The takeaway of that show is it opened up a dialog for all of us. We are a small community here and sometimes its counterproductive in terms that everyone knows each other and doesn't want to hurt other peoples feelings". 

Derrick sales licensing for his drawings and illustrations in bulk. He works for different clients. He states he has met a lot of other illustrators online. He has clients and personal commissions both locally and regionally. It's easier when the clients are local because he doesn't have to ship any of the work. Derrick spends time once a week to promote himself. He writes down a list every week of all the potential clients he could have and emails them. Sometimes they respond and sometimes they don't but a lot of time his clients are already following him on various social media sites. "If you're working alone, its really easy to fall into your own habits and not have someone check you on the stuff you're doing and methods you're using to get out further into the market". 

Getting representation and more exposure is always a challenge. Derrick has the bulk of his work up on his website. He says he has a lot of breakthroughs and often times revisits a genre or medium he has put down to be picked up again. He has a Facebook page and Tumblr blog linked up to his website. He says he has been good about keeping track and spending time writing and dedicating content to each site. He has had a few commission requests happen online. A lot of his illustration work is out of town and that's the type of work he wants to make more of. Most people are looking at his blog for content and he has a big audience.

David Lusk- David Lusk Gallery

David Lusk says his buyers have not changed much since he opened in 1995. He has just added to his roster. People are hanging most of what they buy and not wearhousing it. 

"It's so much design oriented, you have to have a space and it's got to work with the space" People return and buy the same artist from a different time period. The new work is typically less expensive and you build a market from there. If you don't have any kind of track record it;s more important to get it out there cheap and seen in peoples' offices, houses, etc. You can't grow it until people are talking about it; it's a very hard thing to get people excited about. New work from a new artist might be good but not so much in Memphis. The art festivals have some commerce going on but mostly they are museum shows and gallery shows in pavilions. Everyone is going to see what the next best thing is, seeing what that dealer's artist is showing in a pavilion. The art fairs are all about commerce and bringing known commodities. 

Not everybody is meant to make it through their art. Almost everywhere someone is buying something from a gallery. They already know what is going to look good in a room. Most avid clients are not artists themselves. 

David Lusk says his pain points are that competition is always good. It brings more people looking than buying things. "Essentially we should educate more people and it helps people play at the top of their game. You get lazy calling, trying to make sales as well as pushing artists  to make more work. It would be great to have more people art aware visiting Memphis". His website has big reach, but whether people come visit is a different thing. Lusk says he would like to get more press out. There is no critical writing here-submitting to Art news, Art America, Art Forum. There isn't a monthly thing to write about but there is a good amount of attention to regional artists especially in the Brooks Museum right now. 

 There is other stuff going on in the Memphis art scene that brings the Memphis brand and packages the city. Schools are churning out so many art students for a region this size. We have two art programs here. If you know how to market it helps- and it's not always a teachable skill.

A young person trying to open a viable art business here in Memphis, can swing it.

Some artists quickly oversaturate their market. You can't keep showing everything as soon as you make it and it's not newer or different art work. People don't always want to buy new art. They have to be in a world where they trust the dealer and trust what the dealer shows.

David Perry Smith-David Perry Smith Gallery