Art Blog

My Life as a Doll – HMAAC – Jan. 30 – March 29, 2015

A-PORTRAIT-SERIES

My Life As a Doll by Tara Conley – A Collaboration with Tria Wood

January 30, 2015 – March 29, 2015
HMAAC
4807 Caroline Street
Houston, TX 77004
713·526·1015

Artist Talk | January 31, 2015 – 4:00PM

A walk through installation experience that is a meditation on the status of women. Seductive aspects of a built fantasy world slowly give way to reveal the perils for a woman living her life as a doll. By exploring personal spaces and narrative elements of this character’s life, viewers entering the installation will encounter a dialogue about power structures, childhood expectations and gender distinctions that take root early on and continue to shape us as adults.

www.hmaac.org

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Tara Conley and Joe Barrington – Texas Tech University

Engraved limestone phrases border the quadrants of the courtyard, while stainless steel pipes create a lighted archway beckoning the viewer with both grace and power. The iconic and bronze bear and stainless steel bull stand alongside the trajectories created, akin to their respective market trends. Six bronze regional commodities icons line the courtyard’s inner circle.

Each phrase is from Conley’s collection of text-based works, and inspires contemplation on integrity, business, and success. The artists constructed the archway of more than 200 pieces of stainless steel pipe with 240 bends that follow one another in perfect alignment then diverge and extend into distinctive lit tendrils floating in the air. In keeping with Barrington’s work, the bull and bear are fabricated with individually formed plates over an armature. The glow of uplighting creates a spectacular view from the second floor and beacon-like effect from a distance. A head-to-toe viewing experience, this installation establishes a space where art, architecture and achievement intersect.

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