(Re) Motivated curated by Shane McAdams
Sculptor Robert Morris asserted in the late 60's that materials in art should be "motivated," meaning, they should nakedly expose their most fundamental physical attributes. They should aspire to their natural physical state: Morris's felt pieces draped; Richard Serra's molten lead works splattered; Lynda Benglis's poured latex pieces flowed. The work of these and other process and postminimalist artists helped open the door for the exploration of unconventional materials that can easily be taken for granted in 2014.
Many talk of a post-studio age, where art can take any shape, in any place, and live for any duration of time. But we're also experiencing a post-medium era where almost any material has become a legitimate agent of visual expression.
As groundbreaking and experimentally generous as Morris and others were, many contemporary artist have sought to go them one further by seeking a materials potential to become something else. These artists are less interested in any sort of end-game reductivism, but in an omnivorous approach to utilizing and exploring the most mundane and non-traditional materials. While the artists in (Re)Motivated embrace the material inheritance of Morris and his contemporaries, they contribute to a contemporary predilection for embellishment and transformation.
Artists; Walter Biggs, Jordan Eagles, Greg Klassen, Shane McAdams, Michael Miga, Keith Nelson, Donna Ruff, Kris Scheifele, and Hap Tivey.
