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03.15.06
Publico Features Cincinnati Artist
by Luke Lewis, iRhine
In recent years Over the Rhine has become a very important contributor to Cincinnati's art scene. Publico discreetly opened its doors 3 years ago at 1308 Clay Street, and has steadily become a must visit venue for Cincinnati art.
Publico hosts both national and local artists such as Chris Vorhees. Vorhees, a resent addition to Cincinnati's growing art scene lives in Cincinnati and works as the Chief Preparator of Exhibits at the Contemporary Art Center.
Chris Vorhees', "Dub Furniture" opened at Publico on Friday February 24. The show features Vorhees' installation, sculpture, and drawings.
Vorhees has a history of commenting on the function of leisure objects, such as lawn furniture, and idealized Ikea-type home furnishings.
Vorhees "Dub Furniture" is wholly handmade.
And when I say had made, I mean that each piece of plywood in the work is hand constructed, layer by layer.
The most engaging work in the show is Corrugated Kitchen. Corrugated Kitchen is a life sized reproduction of Vorhees' kitchen, fabricated with plain sheets of everyday cardboard. The kitchen is assembled with tape and hot glue, and is constructed within a wood 2'x4' frame.
The kitchen is open, and large enough to walk around in. The corrugate is actually quite strong, and I was surprised at how sturdy the structure was. All the cabinets and doors open and close, the only thing missing was a faucet.
Vorhees originally constructed Corrugated Kitchen inside his own house alongside his actual kitchen.
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Corrugated Kitchen, along with other sculptures in the show comment on the practicality and functionality of our everyday surroundings.
Four smaller sculptural works accompany Corrugated Kitchen, and supplement the theme of the show.
Beverage Holder, stands awkwardly near the middle of the gallery floor. This 6 foot tall rectangular cup holder looms over the viewer with one small beverage holder sticking out of the side. It's hard to ignore this large rectangular box, and even harder to ignore its uselessness and impracticality. It acts as a sobering reminder of the labor that undermines the comforts that we enjoy.
Fakie is a cleverly titled installation that refers to the uselessness of the sculpture itself, and the skateboarding trick that it references. It resides on the far wall of the gallery. The work consists of a plywood ramp that starts at the floor and curves up the wall. Attached to the top of the ramp Vorhees has constructed a wooden mantle or hearth. The piece looks like a combination of a small skateboarding street ramp, and a modestly decorated fireplace. The sculpture looks functional and decorative, but has no practical usability.
Sofa Server is a remake of a small drink tray on wheels. Vorhees provides his inspiration for the work in the form of the actual found box that once contained a "Sofa Server". Vorhees dutifully replicated this "Sofa Server" based on the photo on the box. Again, the plywood is hand made. Sofa Server looks very similar to the product advertised on the box, but it is evident in the subtle imperfections, such as small separations in the ply, that this Sofa Server wont quite live up to its idealized expectations.
Plywood is a hand made standard 4'x8'piece of plywood. The sculpture is constructed of glued Maple veneer. Plywood is interesting because it is a very close replica of a mass produced piece of plywood from a lumber mill. Simparch, a collaborative group, worked together in construction of this work.
Vorhees 7 drawings in the front hallway of Publico echo the theme suggested by his sculpture. The drawings organize units of raw building material into unintelligible configurations.
Vohrees' sculptures seem to subvert feelings of convenience and comfort associated with leisure objects. The question raised in Vorhees work revolves around the process of its creation. How often do we think about the craft that goes into these leisure objects, and how does that affect its function? If a superficial object such as a beverage holder, or a piece of lawn furniture defines us as people who are comfortable and secure, does that definition change when the fabrication of these superficial objects is exhausting and imperfect.
This is not to say that the craft in the work is weak, naturally Vorhees cannot replicate by hand the precision of a machine fabricated object. Vorhees' work injects a sentiment of frustration and dissatisfaction into objects that "assist" in our comfortable lifestyle. In turn the viewer is forced to confront the true value of these objects.
Vorhees show will run at Publico from February 24 to March 25. Publico is open every Saturday afternoon from 12pm to 4pm. Publico will also host a closing reception on March 24 from 7pm to 10pm.
Publico is in the process of beginning a more aggressive schedule in terms of the number of changing shows, so look forward to upcoming opportunities to see even more important art in Over the Rhine.
For more information on Chris Vorhees visit publicoart.com or objectdart.org
Luke Lewis is volunteer staff writer for iRhine.Contact: punchclock101@yahoo.com
Publico
1308 Clay St.
Cincinnati, Ohio 45202
T. 513-784-0832
paul@publicoart.com
Read more at iRhine.com >>>
About iRhine
iRhine is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that develops the focus of communication for the many diversified offerings in the historic Cincinnati neighborhood of Over-the-Rhine (OTR). Through the Web site, e-mails, educational meetings, events, and volunteering, iRhine has supported and encouraged socio-economic development for OTR and the Greater Cincinnati Region since 2000.
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